A year ago, Stop the Wall and itisapartheid.org launched the first International Israeli Apartheid Short Film Contest. Palestinians and international participants were encouraged to submit short films on the theme of Israeli Apartheid. The contest was organized in order to spread awareness about the Israeli occupation. According to Richard Colbath-Hess, one of the organizers of the contest, “The media, especially in the United States, does not report the truth about the Israeli occupation. The contest is an attempt to engage activists all over the world to use the creative resources of film to get the issue of Israeli Apartheid into the mainstream.”
From the pool of videos that were submitted, the top ten short films were showcased on the website. A process of viewing and voting on the films took place over the last months of 2010.
Three panels of judges determined the winners of four different awards. The Expert Panel prize was determined by an international panel of experts in the fields of film and the Israeli Occupation. The Global Jury prize was determined by internet voting by anyone who visited the website and viewed the films during the fall of 2010. The scores submitted at two separate showings in Palestine determined the Palestinian Jury prize. And lastly, the Overall prize was awarded to the most outstanding film.
The winning films are as follows:
The Expert Panel prize and Overall prize was awarded to “Road Map to Apartheid”
The Global Jury prize was awarded to “Confronting the Wall”
The Palestine Jury prize was awarded to “Ali Wall”
These powerful films are starting to circulate on the internet all over the world. There have been film showings, in the US, Canada, Venezuela, Britain, Australia, France and the Netherlands.
For further information on the contest or to view more videos, visit:
http://www.itisapartheid.info/
