The great book robbery trailer from benny brunner on vimeo. Filmmaker benny brunner, discussed his new film the great book robbery, explained how the palestinian rare books were lost during the formation of israel, how his film undercuts the myths surrounding the founding of the state of israel, why we need to acknowledge that the palestinians had a thriving culture, why recognizing the real history will help everyone and what benny hopes his film will. Tufts sjp kicked off its semester with a film screening of the great book robbery, directed by the israelidutch filmmaker benny brunner. The matter of the great book robbery it sounds rather like a caper. After some selfeducating and a lucky discover of the great book robbery on facebook, today i am proud to serve as the communication manager for this project with benny brunner. Today i studied maps of israelpalestine and read some history of the conflict for the first time. Report on palestineisrael will air the great book robbery, a fim by benny. Report on palestineisrael will air the great book robbery, a fim by benny brunner it comes t. The great book robbery sheds new light on the palestinian tragedy of 1948, also known as the nakba or catastrophe, when some 725,000 palestinians were dispossessed to make way for a jewishmajority israeli state.
It has shown thus far to israeli and palestinian audiences, as well as on aljazeera, to impassioned responses. Filmmaker benny brunner will join us through video conferencing to respond to audience questions following this screening. The great book robbery 2012 benny brunner cast and. The great book robbery boston palestine film festival. When the arabisraeli war raged in 1948, librarians from israels national library followed soldiers as they entered. A dutchisraeli filmmaker, brunner has been writing, directing, and producing documentary films internationally since the early 1990s. The great book robbery explores the looting of 70,000 palestinian books during the 1948 war by the newly. Report on palestineisrael will air the great book robbery, a fim by benny brunner it comes to us courtesy of the al jazeeras news magazine witness. Find movie and film cast and crew information for the great book robbery 2012 benny brunner on allmovie. The great book robbery due to covid19, the little is temporarily closed.
Benny brunner 2012 chronicles of a cultural destruction. The great book robbery and the fate of palestines private. Benny brunner, the amsterdambased israeli director, said it took him five years to get the film made. A new documentary on one aspect palestinian dispossession will air soon on aljazeera english. Was the appropriation of palestinian books and manuscripts in 1948 a case of cultural theft or preservation. New documentary reveals looting of 70,000 palestinian books during israels creation may 7th, 2012 the great book robbery, a new film from director benny brunner that tells the story of the looting of 70,000 palestinian books during the creation of the state. The israelipalestinian conflict, jewish and modern israeli history, and inspiring individuals are the subject matters of his films. Documentary, 20072012 chronicles of a cultural destruction.
The great book robbery is a cultural heritage documentary film that was broadcast and screened internationally. The great book robbery, israels 1948 looting of palestines cultural heritage ali abunimah may 2012 on may 15, palestinians mark the anniversary of the nakba, the systematic expulsion of the palestinian people by zionist militias that. For the weeks of august 27 and september 3, salaam shalom. The great book robbery s other primary objective is education. The great palestinian book robbery w benny brunner duration. Brunners film the great book robbery is the latest in a line of. Join us sunday, october 21st, 6 pm at the resource center for nonviolence community room for a potluck and screening of the great book robbery, a film by benny brunner. In the intervening years, israel has constructed a moralistic and.
Farewell mansion of wisdom, temple of philosophers, institute of. The great book robbery by benny brunner monday 16 june 12. Read an article about the film in the economist here. Preserving or looting palestinian books in jerusalem. For more gift ideas, check out imdb s holiday gift guide, curated with the entertainment lover in mind watch now. The story of 70,000 palestinian books that were looted by the newly created state of israel in 1948. The great book robbery, israels 1948 looting of palestines cultural heritage. Was the appropriation of palestinian books and manuscripts in 1948 a case of cultural theft or.
The film, which is finished and currently undergoing editing, will. Their mission was to collect as many valuable books and manuscripts as possible. Filmmaker benny brunner, discussed his new film the great book robbery, explained how the palestinian rare books were lost during the formation of israel, how his film undercuts the myths surrounding the founding of the state of israel, why we need to acknowledge that the palestinians had a thriving culture, why recognizing the real history. He makes critical political films that side with the dispossessed, the unrepresented and the other. Directed by benny brunner, a dutchisraeli immigrant and selfdescribed former zionist, the film left the 40 or so attendees in awe. The film interweaves various story lines into a structure that is both dramatically compelling and emotionally unsettling. The great book robbery film screening resource center. Brunner s film the great book robbery is the latest in a line of documentaries in which he challenges the zionist narrative, a narrative he sees as dangerous and counterproductive. The great book robbery 2012 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Sjp hosts director benny brunner and his film the great. Wellknown in his field, brunner has directed films covering a range of topics, including the influence of the holocaust in contemporary israel, as well as alnakba. The great book robbery was produced and directed by benny brunner, 2911 foundation, and xela films in association with aljazeera english.
While shooting state of suspension in 2008, brunner stated that he. The great book robbery a film by benny brunner on vimeo. When benny brunner, a dutchisraeli filmmaker, discovered this hidden. But, we do have some great prerecorded interviews for you. But books, as the argentine writer jorge luis borges illustrated so well in his stories, almost literally contain the world. The concepts were vaguely familiar but i lacked all context. Join members of librarians and archivists to palestine for a screening and discussion of the great book robbery, a documentary about the looting of 70,000 books from private palestinian libraries during the 1948 war, directed by benny brunner this screening is part of israeli apartheid weekiaw, an international series of events that seeks to raise awareness about israels apartheid. The three shared a common appreciation of the projects.
The historical revisionism of the great book robbery. The books have been there for 64 years, a living testimony to a painful historic affair. Next month, benny brunner will bring his film, the great book robbery, to the u. The great book robbery, israels 1948 looting of palestines. The great book robbery watch here, a documentary that recently screened on a number of us college campuses, is the latest attempt by antiisrael groups to rewrite and recast the historical events of 1948 in the film, israelidutch director benny brunner purports to reconstruct how 70,000 palestinian books were systematically taken by the newborn state of israel during the 1948 war as.
Israelidutch filmmaker benny brunner, a member of the great book robbery s staff who is based in amsterdam, has made a documentary titled the great book robbery, which recounts the looting of palestinian books. When the arabisraeli war raged in 1948, librarians from israels national library followed soldiers as they entered palestinian homes in towns and villages. It vividly chronicles the largescale cultural pillage and dispossession of palestinian literary archives. Today, about six thousand of the these books can be found on the shelves of the. The great book robbery, a 2012 documentary about the looting of some 70,000 books from private palestinian libraries during the 1948 war. At the resource center for nonviolence, 612 ocean st. Brunner sides with the dispossessed, unrepresented, and the other. The great book robbery witness palestine film festival.
The story of 70,000 palestinian books that were looted by the. Palestines great book robbery guernica guernica magazine. The great book robbery watch here, a documentary that recently screened on a number of us college campuses, is the. Farewell mansion of wisdom, temple of philosophers, institute of science, council house of literature. The great book robbery, directed by israelidutch filmmaker benny brunner, tells about a little known but shocking element of the 1948 arabisraeli war, when israeli forces went through villages and towns which previously formed part of the british mandate of palestine and, as of 15 may 1948, were now officially part of the newly created. The great book robbery by benny brunner expands on jacirs explorations.
The great book robbery a film by benny brunner news o. Find out what movies jim gaffigan, linda hamilton, and more are watching during the holidays. Watch a film that tells the story of israels systematic looting of tens of thousands of books and other cultural treasures during the nakba, the 1948 expulsion of the palestinian people. He has been writing, directing, and producing documentary films internationally since the early 1990s. There were people who knew about it, but life goes on and the whole issue sank into oblivion, says benny brunner, director of the film the great book robbery, which will premiere locally at. The great book robbery tells the story of 70,000 palestinian books that were looted by the newly created state of israel in. Since the late 1980s, brunner has written, directed and produced films about the history of the israelipalestinian conflict including the concrete curtain, it is no dream, alnakba and the great book robbery.
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