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Breaking Walls
Israel 2004, 40 min, OV hebrew/arabic with english subtitles, 29.90 € IAS016
“Breaking Walls,” Video 48's new documentary, follows three people whose paths intersect at a mural in an Israeli Arab village – Mike, Dani and Mus’ab. American painter Mike Alewitz has produced colorful murals, from L.A. to Baghdad, all dedicated to the working class. Dani Ben Simhon of the Workers Advice Centre who gave up a promising art career to organize Arab workers and says “this is my art now". Builder Mus'ab Salameh says "When I started painting…I felt I was laying bricks." With other volunteers, the three paint a fractured wall, expressing hope that a common future for workers will burst through the cracks. Video 48 is supported by WACC.
The film presents a hopeful picture in which walls between workers crumble. Beyond that, it shows a conservative society whose internal walls are being breached.
Salameh, the film's protagonist, belongs to a team of construction workers organized by WAC. He began working full time at the age of 17, when his father passed away, leaving him as his family's breadwinner. Originally from the West Bank town of Tulkarem, he married a woman from Israel so that he would be allowed to work inside the Green Line. "What about love?" Ben Efrat asked him. Salameh blushed, explaining: "In our society we don't talk about such things on television."
Produktion: Nir Nader
Realisation: Video '48