Tantura

As I write this review in May of 2024, my American government is funding the genocide of the people of Gaza. So far, about 40,000 have been massacred by the IDF with an assortment of armaments from our stores, including two thousand pound "dumb bombs." Teddy Katz is a true hero for having the courage for speaking out against his country by writing a paper with full proof with interviews, of some of the atrocities committed during the Nakba(catastrophe) of 1948. One interview subject, in particular, spoke with glee of a teenage Palestinian girl being sexually assaulted. The man belongs in a jail cell.

Katz received death threats for this and every member of congress should be locked in a room and forced to watch this documentary. It will never happen.

My previous review was canceled without any explanation; my only thought is that it must have contained a spoiler.

This is an important film to see. I think the director did a great job telling a forgotten story about the creation of Israel. We are offered a glimpse into history from the perspective of the Israeli soldiers who participated in the massacres of the Palestinian villages that were ethnically cleansed during the creation of the state of Israel. I am amazed that this film was made and screened at US festivals, given the censure these types of films typically receive. It's a tough watch, but a necessary one.

First person accounts, a master's thesis, a newspaper article about the thesis, and the scandal of truth makes Tantura is a gateway documentary about truth vs the manufactured myths of state creation.

Told in non-linear format, individuals connected to an Arab village recall 1948 events on camera as well as through decades old audio interviews. Memories and rationalizations clash as the true and hidden stories of atrocities are revealed.

All but exclusively interviewing Israelis, Tantura the documentary might be better entitled, Testimonies of Tantura, as only a few Arab voices are heard. While there are some village witnesses who survived interviewed, the focus is on Israeli perspectives, peeling away layers of taboo and myth to reveal the shocking truths, some told so casually, and justified so brazenly, that anyone watching will rightly start questioning the creation myth of the state of Israel.

Tantura is more than examination of an obscured massacre, it's an examination of the relationship Israelis have with the truth.

Pair Tantura this with 1948: Creation & Catastrophe (2017), another documentary relying on first-person accounts to gain better insight into the history of Israel and current events in Palestine.

Powerful account of atrocities that should never have happened, it's hard to watch but explains a lot. And the cover up at the highest levels makes it even worst and it's hard not to draw similitude to what the nazis did, it's the same thing

To imagine that just 3 years after being hunted by the nazis, the same people decided, you know what is a good idea, lets do the same to someone else.

And to top it all of they were rounding up, chasing and judging the nazis while at the same time doing the exact same thing. Insanity

And it's really hard to see people telling about this crimes and laughing, these aren't people, these are animals.

Of course this film's topic is absolutely essential and I am so glad this story is being told. As for the way the film portrays details (the eerie points where people smile, the reaction of the dog and other animals, the inflections of the people being interviewed) is what made this film so terrifying and so strong. It's also why I recommend watching it multiple times-you'll notice more detail each time. I've watched it twice, a year apart, and found myself catching so many more small details. This film is essential if you want to educate yourself about Palestine and its history, and about the way people lie to themselves to keep their "morality" intact. Ultimately, what I found myself feeling again after watching is this: being afraid to learn, to adapt and to admit when you were wrong is essential to liberation. Every time someone in this film says "I don't think about that anymore," it's so clear that they think about it every day.