Hebron, only a dot on the world map, but a place that is known and recognized worldwide as the center of many conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians. It is also the place where patriarch Abraham has his tomb. In the West Bank city of Hebron, a major holy place to both Jews and Muslims, some 800 extremist Jewish settlers live in the midst of a Palestinian population of over 120,000. For three years, Esther Hertog has been filming from within the settler community, capturing unique scenes of their real, sometimes even surreal daily life. An entire army battalion watches over the Jewish community from the city rooftops.

Esther Hertog, a young Israeli - Dutch filmmaker spent three years in Hebron. She observed the daily life of the settlers, which resulted in a fascinating document, the absurd mix of soldiers, ideological settlers and their children playing. As a character driven documentary the essential narrative of 'Soldier on the Roof' depicts the filmmakers personal quest to understand the daily lives and motivations of Hebron's settlers.


Soldier on the Roof

Doc, 50 & 80 min, 2012

Written & Directed by: Esther Hertog
Produced by: Harry de Winter, Gijs van de Westelaken
Executive Producer: Erica Reijmerink, Sarphati Media
Creative Producer: Paul King
Sponsored by: VPRO, The Netherlands
Language: Hebrew and English with English Subtitles

DVD - For Home Use Only :
$29.90

Synopsis


Hebron, only a dot on the world map, but a place that is known and recognized worldwide as the center of many conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians. It is also the place where patriarch Abraham has his tomb. In the West Bank city of Hebron, a major holy place to both Jews and Muslims, some 800 extremist Jewish settlers live in the midst of a Palestinian population of over 120,000. For three years, Esther Hertog has been filming from within the settler community, capturing unique scenes of their real, sometimes even surreal daily life. An entire army battalion watches over the Jewish community from the city rooftops.

Esther Hertog,...

Awards

  • GRAND PRIX – Golden Warsaw Phoenix - Jewish Motifs Film Festival, Poland, 2014
  • Audience Award – HumanDoc Film Festival, Poland, 2013
  • Best Director Award – Sole e Luna International Film Festival, Italy, 2013

Festivals

  • Ethnocineca Vienna International Anthropological Film Festival, 2014
  • Jewish Mostifs Film Festival, Poland, 2014
  • 13th RAI International Festival of Ethnographic Film, LA, USA, 2014
  • HumanDoc International Film Festival, Poland, 2013

Additional info

Gallery

Press & Links:

  • DocAviv's Jury verdict for SOLDIER ON THE ROOF:

    "Soldier on the roof- for its gentle and extremely thoughtful film making we give the special mention to a film which reminds us of the amazing and horrific human ability not to see."

  • Dutch-Israeli filmmaker Esther Hertog spent three years living among the several hundred heavily guarded Jewish families of Hebron documenting their daily lives. To her credit, the fact that the story is told entirely from their perspective and that of the soldiers watching over them does not at all make it one-sided.

    For the entire review by Judy Maltz/Haaretz.com check: http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/once-upon-a-time-in-iran-and-other-israeli-tales-1.518632#.UYIAd7Qupww.facebook

  • Jury Report First Appearance
    In a conflict that unfortunately is more current than ever, the filmmaker
    takes a unique, seemingly innocent and lighthearted path to talk about the daily life of Jewish settlers, and their belief system, which in turn sheds light on the lives of the Palestinians surrounding them.
    Soldier on the Roof by Esther Hertog

     

    Jury Report Dutch Competition
    The third nominee is a reflective portrait of a small community of Israeli settlers in Hebron, where they are outnumbered by Palestinian residents. Both communities believe that they have the historical rights to the same city. The film captures the absurdity of choices where logic and reality are overtaken by dogma and entrenched hatred. A debut film: Soldier on the Roof (Esther Hertog)

Festivals

  • Ethnocineca Vienna International Anthropological Film Festival, 2014
  • Jewish Mostifs Film Festival, Poland, 2014
  • 13th RAI International Festival of Ethnographic Film, LA, USA, 2014
  • HumanDoc International Film Festival, Poland, 2013
  • Palm Beach Israeli Film Festival, USA, 2014
  • Lusaka International Film Festival, Zambia, 2013
  • Taiwan International Ethnographic Film Festival, 2013
  • Calgary Jewish Film Festival, Canada, 2013
  • Utrecht International Film Festival, The Netherlands, 2013
  • Sole e Luna International Film Festival, Italy, 2013
  • Chronograph International Film Festival – Official Competition, Moldova, 2013
  • Cannes Film Festival, Amsterdam’s Showcase at Doc Corner, 2013
  • Lemesos International Documentary Film Festival, Cyprus, 2013
  • San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, USA, 2013
  • DocAviv – Official Competition, Israel, 2013
  • Human Rights Arts & Film Festival in Melbourne, Australia, 2013
  • DokFest Munich, Germany, 2013
  • Movies That Matter Amnesty International Film Festival, The Netherlands, 2013
  • Middle East Today International Film Festival, Italy, 2013
  • Vera International Film Festival, Finland, 2013
  • Official Competition - Doc Edge International Film Festival, New Zealand, 2013
  • Official Competition - IDFA, The Netherlands, 2012

Educational

  • Audiovisual Archive SSE, Switzerland
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Lapland, Finland
  • University of Turku, Finland
  • University of Jyväskylä, Finland
  • University of Tampere, Finland
  • University of Helsinki, Finland
  • Finland Church Aid
  • Arizona State University
  • Yale University
  • Harvard University
  • Duke University
  • MESA Conference, 2013
  • Library of Congress
  • Maryland University

Awards

  • GRAND PRIX – Golden Warsaw Phoenix - Jewish Motifs Film Festival, Poland, 2014
  • Audience Award – HumanDoc Film Festival, Poland, 2013
  • Best Director Award – Sole e Luna International Film Festival, Italy, 2013
  • Special Commendation - Rai International Ethnographic Film Festival, UK, 2013
  • Nominated for the Emmy Awards – Current Affairs Category, 2013
  • Best Documentary – The First Appearance Secion – IDFA, 2012
  • Best Dutch Film for 2012 – IDFA, 2012