Budrus Buzz at Tribeca

There is something to be said of festival buzz. Having narrowed my¬†screening list to 30, ‚ÄúBudrus‚Äù directed by Julia Bacha (co-director of¬†Encounter Point) didn‚Äôt make the cut. But by the 5th day of the fest,¬†it had become the documentary to see. It’s a little hard to describe¬†if you have never been to a film festival, but there was this energy¬†in the theater that told me I was in for something special.

“Budrus” documents the potential building of a separation wall between¬†Israel and the Palestinian territories by the Israeli government.¬†Budrus, with a population of 1500 peaceful olive tree farmers turned¬†activists trying to save their land through nonviolent protests, sits¬†right in the middle of where the fence will be built. And until the¬†end of the film, you don‚Äôt know what the outcome will be. That very¬†important aspect of storytelling along with the compassion felt for¬†the townsfolk adds up to a spectacular documentary.

Something that really struck me from the start was that Bacha seems to be observing before the real action begins. (I wanted so much to ask her if she had already decided to film in Budrus before the announcement of the separation wall logistics but didn’t have the chance.) Because of this we get to see the growth in both numbers and diversity of the activists. We begin with the men of the town. Then the women become involved…but not just involved…at the front of the line. And finally, the Israeli activists complete the union. It’s the combo of the women and the activists that really give these crusaders fuel—powering the people of Budrus to continue their

peaceful battle for 10 months!

Of course, the natural order of events can only take a film so far. Bachas interjects people from the “other side” in just the right places giving the film balance. When the women of Budrus enter the fight, we meet Yasmine, a member of the Israeli army who is sympathetic to the cause, but that sympathy is trumped by her work ethic. It is her job to build that wall. We also get interviews with one of the commanders of the Israeli army. I will let you come up with your own opinion of him…no need to spoil the fun.

As the credits rolled I knew this was a story that needed to be told. And not for the reason I expected walking into the theatre. Thinking of the film I am still consumed with thoughts about the will of the human spirit and what can be accomplished through perseverance and passion. (And also the thought that with the right distributor and word of mouth we could have a true Oscar contender.)