Films shed light on life under occupation in Palestine

Some notable documentaries and feature films in the last decade have shed light on the everyday lives of Palestinians under
occupation. Sadly, nothing much seems to have changed, as the tragedies are continuing today Children throwing bricks at military vehicles, climbing walls to see loved ones and teaching children martyrdom as the most honorable status are some of the scenes in a string of documentaries and one feature shedding light on life in Palestine under occupation. While many are getting around to the horrors in the region through social media, these films will show life under occupation through human stories.

“In early 2001 I spent three months in Gaza filming material for this documentary, ‘Gaza Strip,’” writes filmmaker James Longley on his website daylightfactory.com, where he has introduced his 2002 feature documentary available for free online streaming. “The second Palestinian uprising against Israeli military occupation had begun in September 2000, and there had already been large numbers of deaths in Gaza when I started this project.”

“The time since the release of this film in 2002 has seen many changes,” he also writes in the introduction, dated 2011. The film follows 13-year-old Palestinian Mohammed and his friends, a group of angry, poverty-stricken children who get their only kicks out of throwing stones and bricks at the Israeli tanks, who don’t always retaliate in a similar manner. The backdrop is the Second Intifada, and there are no signs of Israelis in the film save from the military vehicles and the familiar flag.

“Gaza Strip” sets out to tell the story of a historically troubled region through the voices of the oppressed...