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.
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
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 HertogJury 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)