Curated to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel, this special selection of archive films explores role of the British mandate in Palestine from 1917-1948.
Working with the Imperial War Museum, the British Film Institute and the Axelrod Collection from the Jerusalem Cinematheque, the collection features some previously unedited and unscreened footage from an extraordinary period in history.
Panel discussions in Haifa, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv explored the relationship between Britain and Israel forged during this period, the relationship between memory and recording, and how we reclaim or renegotiate the past. Writers, Academics, filmmakers and policy makers from Britain and from different communities in Israel lead animated audience debates on films that provoked strong emotional reactions. In Haifa, it was particularly moving to be joined by a group of Israelis who had served with the Palestinian Police during the British Mandate period.
"As a journalist and a History and Cinematography lecturer, the Mandate film program was like the revealing of a hidden treasure. A view of our own history from the outside, through the lens of the British and international politics glasses, through the romance offered by the old and new testament and through a stunning human experience - the meeting between Jews, Arabs and British, which created an explosive situation, which has not been resolved ever since. And still - in the panel discussion right after the screening in Jerusalem, the participants, and more particularly, Tom Segev (Writer of the book "Anemone days" which deals with that period) expressed feelings of yearning to that time. Despite its dark sides, the British heritage has transformed into nostalgia".
David Witzthum, Journalist, Channel 1 News, moderated our panel discussion in Jerusalem
"Never have I seen a full audience sitting, gaping, laughing, listening to every word, every image that the British council brought. People, who thought they had seen everything, know everything from that period went out speechless, thanks to your dedication".
Oren Nahari, Foreign news editor, Channel1 TV, moderated our panel discussion in Tel Aviv
What are we doing next?
Following the success of the screenings, and the huge public interest, we are continuing our research in this area and would be grateful for any leads to archive material from this period.
Please send us your feedback to arts@britishcouncil.org.il
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