Palestine in Foreign Cinema

Abstract

 In the world cinema the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was reflected
in a wide variety of stories and subjected to diametrically opposite assessments.
The confrontation in the Middle East was presented and reflected upon
in different genres: either in audience friendly mainstream ("Munich" by
Steven Spielberg) or social minded author film (“Hanna K.” of Costa Gavras)
as well as experimental oevre, expanding the possibilities of the film language
and its impact (“Here and there” by J.-L. Godard). While the Palestinian
cinematographers made movies supporting the resistance, foreign films were
rather neutral, representing the outsider’s point of view with regard to the facts
and details of the war conflict.
However, there are some different positions regarding their treatment of this
topic: a complete negative attitude towards Palestinians, based on stereotypes
advantageous for one of the parties (i.e. Israeli’s official propaganda), or rather
neutral and restrained position (“Munich” by S. Spielberg).