The First 54 Years – An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation

Documentary, director: Avi Mograbi, Israel/France/Finland/Germany, 2021, 110 min., En./Hebrew with En. ST

Sunday, 28.04.2024 | 16:30 | City Kino Wedding |

Two conditions have been paramount in shaping Palestinian existence since the Nakba in 1948: the ongoing occupation and the waves of displacement it has instigated. Can we trace the record of occupation, not only in terms of its devastating effects but also its power politics and administrative rationality? Avi Mograbi undertakes this task. In his film, he interviews the agents and functionaries of the occupation machinery: soldiers, military officers, and administrators who have all been involved in enforcing a pervasive regime of domination and crushing Palestinian resistance – often through atrocious acts of violence. Mograbi crafts the outcome of his interviews into a guide, a practical manual that illustrates the daily routines of occupation in the period between 1967 and 2021 and sheds light on the commonplaceness of evil.