This is the first time ever snipers of Israel Defense Forces were given permission to be interviewed for a film. After 5 weeks of training an Israeli soldier can become a sniper if he chooses to. Snipers are part of every combat unit. The war scenes in the film were taken by combat soldiers on duty. Since the last Intifada Israeli snipers are used for targeted killing. The sniper is the only soldier who sees the ” white of his victim’s eyes”. This is what separates these soldiers from the other fighters. The image of the gun, the bullet and the man behind them who waits patiently and calmly, in the quiet darkness in order to fulfill the command and shoot one single shot. These make him appear as a heroic fighter and, perhaps to others, a cold-blooded murderer. “ONE SHOT” focuses on snipers who still serves as reserved snipers in the Israeli Army. For the first time ever they speak on their killings, their feelings confronting their memories and their morality. They do not regret killing, they still believe in one shot – one kill.
Awards
- First Prize - Pamplona International Film Festival, Spain, 2005
- Phoenix Award - Best Program on the NonFiction Category - Cologne Conference, Germany, 2004
Festivals
- Singapore International Film Festival, 2006
- Big Sky International Documentary Film Festival, Montana, USA, 2006
- Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival, Canada, 2005
- Berlin One World Film Festival, Germany, 2005
Additional info
Gallery
One Shot selected to the Palestinian Festival to take place in Malmo, Sweden in April, 2005. For all films and schedules, please go to:
http://karen.mah.se/safihr/article.php?id=123
One Shot has been nominated one of the top ten documentaries for 2004. It’s rated as the fourth documentary, following “Fahrenheit 9/11”.
For the entire article by Joshua Tanzer click Here
One Shot has been selected to compete in the TopTen Non-Fiction Programmes
of this year's Cologne Conference. Among the docs selected to this section,
one may find: "Capturing the Friedmans", "Rythm It Is" and "Weltmantfuhrer -
the Story of Ten Sikkmann"
http://www.cologne-conference.de/en/presse/releases/2004-05-24.php
Extraordinarily unnerving yet riveting docu features Israeli snipers sipping their morning coffee while telling how it feels to stalk and assassinate "terrorists." "One Shot" also accompanies them on lethal walkabouts in the Occupied Territories. Even more amazing than the candid comments is the fact that the film was allowed to be made at all. Horrifying, no matter what side one is on, Nurit Kedar's revelatory docu should stimulate controversy wherever it goes.
Israeli army snipers speak with remarkable openness about their profession. They all recount the joy of the kill and euphoria of success they commonly experienced when first starting out. Even when doubts sneak in, they all relish the peace of being alone with a rifle and a target, the almost religious rituals of sighting, holding their breath and positioning their bodies just so -- one even speaks of assassinations as a form of therapy
Ronnie Scheib, VARIETY, July 20th, 2004
"Although there are plenty of feature-length films in this year's Human Rights Watch Film Festival, the most striking, powerful and disturbing of the films available at press time is only an hour long. "One Shot", a new documentary by Nurit Kedar, provides an unprecedented look at the work of the snipers who belong to the Israel Defense Forces, an elite group of marksmen whose job is to kill the enemy from a distance."
"Kedar got unprecedented access to the soldiers who fill this thoroughly unpleasant job, even being allowed to use video footage shot by IDF soldiers during combat. The result is chilling...."
"One Shot" is an unforgettable piece of filmmaking, almost excruciating to watch. Although the Human Rights Watch Festival is anyways one of the strongest gatherings of movies on display in the city during the year, everything else on view this time around pales by comparison."
The Jewish Week, June 11, 2004