The Olamot Center for Scholarly and Cultural Exchange with Israel and the Borns Jewish Studies Program hosted the Edward A. Block program, which included a screening of documentarian Ayelet Heller's new film “1957, Transcript of a Massacre.”
After the screening, a panel discussion commenced with Ayelet Heller (Director), Prof. Alicia Kozma (IU Cinema Director), Prof. Timothy Waters (Mauer School of Law), and Prof. Asaad Alsaleh (Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures).
About the Film
Between 1948 and 1966, the people of Kfar Qasim, like most Arab villagers in Israel at the time, lived under a military regime with a permanent curfew imposed every night. On the morning of October 29th, 1956, when villagers of Kfar Qasim set out to work in the fields, they did not know that later that day a decision would be made to start the curfew earlier in the evening, at 5:00 pm. They did not know that when they returned to the village, they would be breaking the curfew and sentenced to death. On that day, between 5:00-6:00 pm, Israeli border patrol soldiers murdered forty-seven innocent Palestinian citizens of Israel—women, children and men who had no knowledge of the change in curfew hours. Following public outcry, eleven soldiers who committed the murders were brought before a military court. Transcripts from the military trial were recently released, making it possible to unveil the story of the Kfar Qasim massacre from the point of view of the offenders for the first time. Following the transcripts, as well as testimonies of survivors and historians, this documentary introduces new perspectives on Arab Jewish relations within the state of Israel. Is there hope for healing?
About the Director
Ayelet Heller is a documentary film director, a graduate of the Tel-Aviv University Film and Television School, with an exceptional career spanning several decades. Since her first film in 1992 ‘The Unpromised Land’, Heller has gone on to create and direct over 50 films and TV series for both Israeli and international producers, including networks such as ARTE and PBS. Her very latest work includes two documentary films on Holocaust related issues (2020, 2023) and five different TV documentary series for major broadcasters.
Ayelet Heller’s films address situations defined by social tensions and political conflicts and explore the struggles and resilience of socially vulnerable and marginalized individuals against biases and prejudices within overwhelming power structures. Her works have been featured in national and international film festivals and have won prestigious awards such asBest Documentary Feature Film at the 40th Chicago International Children’s Film Festival (Journey to the Past, 2023).