Bil’in My Love

This is a film about how one loses fear of an oppressive army, about the Palestinian struggle to maintain their land and demand their freedom and about an Israeli film maker who crosses the line and befriends a Palestinian village.
Shai Carmeli Pollak did not come to Bil’in as a film maker, but as an activist to take part in the protest against the land theft caused by the separation barrier. For a year and a half, he used his camera to document the moments of despair and hope, danger and courage and the birth of true partnership between Palestinians and Israelis. During this period, the village has become a symbol of the joint struggle against the barrier and the occupation. The director focuses on two central figures: Mohamed, a member of the village’s local committee against the barrier, and Wagee, a farmer and father of ten, who is losing the majority of his land to the barrier and to the settlement. The film exposes the extraordinary relationship formed between the villagers and a group of Israeli activists, against the backdrop of their struggle. The conflict that arises between Shai and the soldiers serving in the area is not only between a director and the subjects he is documenting, but also the conflict between a former soldier turned peace activist and the entire military organization.

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