Borders in motion: The evolution of the portrayal of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in contemporary Israeli cinema

Abstract

During the 1980s a remarkable phenomenon occurred in Israeli cinema. The main genre attracted leading directors who chose to identify with Israel's most entrenched enemy-the Palestinian people. The major films of the decade addressed Palestinians suffering from the occupation, depicted Palestinian activists as freedom fighters, gave voice to the Arabic language and Arab worldview, and evoked positive feelings toward those who were perceived by the general public as threatening. The leading films of the 1980s were generally referred to as left-wing movies. In the 1990s these films gave way to a more personal and sectoral cinema. The 1990s dealt primarily with social circles in Tel Aviv, reexamined the absorption of immigrants in Israel, and looked at the relations between different Jewish groups such as Mizrahim and Ashkenazim.1.