Where Should the Birds Fly?

Jun 21, 2013

1h 4m

★ 7.0

"Where should we go after the last frontiers? Where should the birds fly after the last sky?" –Mahmoud Darwish

Overview

The film tells the compelling and moving stories of two remarkable young women living in Gaza and the struggle of Gazans trying to maintain their humanity and humor while hoping to find some sense of normality in a world that is anything but normal.

Genres

Documentary

Where Should the Birds Fly? Trailers

Cast

Self

Fida Qishta

Self

Mona Samouni

This feature length investigation by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit exposes Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip through the medium of photos and videos posted online by Israeli soldiers themselves during the year long conflict. The I-Unit has built up a database of thousands of videos, photos and social media posts. Where possible it has identified the posters and those who appear. The material reveals a range of illegal activities, from wanton destruction and looting to the demolition of entire neighbourhoods and murder. The film also tells the story of the war through the eyes of Palestinian journalists, human rights workers and ordinary residents of the Gaza Strip. And it exposes the complicity of Western governments – in particular the use of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus as a base for British surveillance flights over Gaza.

7.7

Gaza Fights for Freedom

Jun 20, 2019

Gaza Fights for Freedom depicts the ongoing Great March of Return protests in the Gaza Strip, occupied Palestine, that began in 2018.

7.5

War Photographer

Nov 1, 2001

Documentary about war photographer James Nachtwey, considered by many the greatest war photographer ever.

0.0

Israel's Reel Extremism

Aug 7, 2024

An examination of Israel and its society after many months of war, seen initially through the prism of viral social media posts - and exclusive interviews with the soldiers behind them. These posts, some shared millions of times, show soldiers humiliating bound Palestinians, ransacking their homes, joking as they detonate schools and whole districts, and laughing as they launch high explosive ordnance into densely-packed areas. The award-winning team behind this Basement Films production traveled to Israel to interview some of these soldiers, who proudly defended themselves and their videos, some expressing callous disregard for Palestinians in Gaza. Through additional interviews with Israeli radical groups, politicians, and media figures, the film reveals Israeli Jewish society in the aftermath of October 7th, gripped by a vengeance and hate that puts into question any possibility for peace.

10.0

The Truth Behind UC Berkeley's Pro-Palestine Protests: Journey Tellers in the World

Apr 24, 2024

Universities across the US are erupting with protests and encampments in support of Palestine. This is unlike anything humanity has in recent history. Why are students doing this? What's the big deal? And why now? The Journey Tellers team set out to answer these questions and more at the UC Berkeley Free Palestine Encampment, on the first day it was launched in the University of California, Berkeley.

8.3

The Occupation of the American Mind

Jan 19, 2016

Over the past few years, Israel's ongoing military occupation of Palestinian territory and repeated invasions of the Gaza strip have triggered a fierce backlash against Israeli policies virtually everywhere in the world—except the United States. This documentary takes an eye-opening look at this critical exception, zeroing in on pro-Israel public relations efforts within the U.S.

8.8

From Ground Zero

Jan 3, 2025

"From Ground Zero" is a compelling project that brings together 22 short films created by talented filmmakers from Gaza. Launched by Rashid Masharawi, a notable Palestinian filmmaker, the initiative emerged amid the backdrop of conflict, aiming to provide a platform for young artists to express themselves through their craft. Each film, ranging from 3 to 7 minutes, presents a unique perspective on the current reality in Gaza. The project captures the diverse experiences of life in the Palestinian enclave, including the challenges, tragedies, and moments of resilience faced by its people. With a mix of genres such as fiction, documentary, docu-fiction, animation, and experimental cinema, "From Ground Zero" showcases a rich tapestry of stories that reflect the sorrow, joy, and hope inherent in Gazan life.

7.7

Waltz with Bashir

Jun 12, 2008

An Israeli film director interviews fellow veterans of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon to reconstruct his own memories of his term of service in that conflict.

7.0

One Day in Gaza

May 13, 2019

How mass protests on the Israel-Gaza border led to one of the deadliest days in a generation. One year later, a moment-by-moment investigation, drawing on exclusive interviews in Gaza and Israel and videos of the protests and bloodshed.

0.0

Lyd

Aug 20, 2023

A sci-fi documentary that follows the rise and fall of Lyd — a 5,000-year-old metropolis that was once a bustling Palestinian town until it was conquered when the State of Israel was established in 1948. As the film unfolds, a chorus of characters creates a tapestry of the Palestinian experience of this city and the trauma left by the massacre and expulsion.

6.4

Here and Elsewhere

Sep 15, 1976

Here and Elsewhere takes its name from the contrasting footage it shows of the fedayeen and of a French family watching television at home. Originally shot by the Dziga Vertov Group as a film on Palestinian freedom fighters, Godard later reworked the material alongside Anne-Marie Miéville.

10.0

It's Bisan from Gaza and I'm Still Alive

Nov 4, 2023

Bisan Owda, journalist and influencer collaborator of the media AJ+, is at the forefront of reporting by filming with her phone, the daily life of Palestinians to the world since October 7, 2023, the start of the war and devastation from Gaza. Owda's storytelling style and resilience have captured international attention, with his work widely covered by international media. She received an Emmy Award in 2024 for her outstanding coverage of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

3.0

1948

Feb 1, 1998

The documentary records the memories of a group of Palestinian elders, mainly veterans from the 1948 expulsions. Their stories of refugee struggles are interspersed with poems of Mahmoud Darwish.

7.5

Control Room

Jan 15, 2004

A chronicle which provides a rare window into the international perception of the Iraq War, courtesy of Al Jazeera, the Arab world's most popular news outlet. Roundly criticized by Cabinet members and Pentagon officials for reporting with a pro-Iraqi bias, and strongly condemned for frequently airing civilian causalities as well as footage of American POWs, the station has revealed (and continues to show the world) everything about the Iraq War that the Bush administration did not want it to see.

8.0

Netanyahu at War

Jan 5, 2016

The inside story of the bitter clash between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Amid violence in the Middle East, the film traces Netanyahu's rise to power and his high-stakes fight with the president over Iran's nuclear program.

8.0

Fertile Memory

Sep 11, 2024

The first full length film to be shot within the disputed Palestinian West Bank "Green Line," FERTILE MEMORY is the feature debut of Michel Khleifi, acclaimed director of the Cannes Film Festival triumph, WEDDING IN GALILEE. Lyrically blending both documentary and narrative elements, Khleifi skillfully and lovingly crafts a portrait of two Palestinian women whose individual struggles both define and transcend the politics that have torn apart their homes and their lives.

6.9

The First 54 Years: An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation

Apr 25, 2021

An exhaustive explanation of how the military occupation of an invaded territory occurs and its consequences, using as a paradigmatic example the recent history of Israel and the Palestinian territories, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, from 1967, when the Six-Day War took place, to the present day; an account by filmmaker Avi Mograbi enriched by the testimonies of Israeli army veterans.

7.5

This Is Not a Movie: Robert Fisk and the Politics of Truth

Sep 6, 2019

For more than forty years, British journalist Robert Fisk has reported on some of the most violent conflicts in the world, from Northern Ireland to the Middle East, always with his feet on the ground and a notebook in hand, travelling into landscapes devastated by war, ferreting out the facts and sending reports to the media he works for with the ambition of catching the interest of an audience of millions.

7.2

Introduction to the End of an Argument

Jan 1, 1990

This highly kinetic tableaux of uprooted sights and sounds works most earnestly to expose the racial biases concealed in familiar images. Relying on valuable snippets from feature films such as "Exodus", "Lawrence of Arabia", "Black Sunday", "Little Drummer Girl", and network news shows, the filmmakers have constructed an oddly wry narrative, mimicking the history of Mid East politics.

10.0

Diary Of A Disgraced Soldier

Nov 18, 2009

In Iraq 2003 Corporal Martin Webster filmed fellow soldiers beating Iraqi youths during rioting in Al Amara. Two years later, a British newspaper obtained his footage. The story that ran led to outrage across the world.

Where Should the Birds Fly?

Overview

Genres

Where Should the Birds Fly? Trailers