| Death In Gaza | |
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Death In Gaza DVD cover |
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| Directed by | James Miller |
| Produced by | Nancy Abraham James Miller Saira Shah |
| Written by | Saira Shah |
| Starring | James Miller Saira Shah |
| Music by | Nick Powell |
| Cinematography | James Miller |
| Editing by | Misha Manson-Smith |
| Distributed by | Channel Four Television Corporation |
| Release date(s) | February 2004 Berlin International Film Festival |
| Running time | 80 min |
| Language | Arabic / English / Hebrew |
Death In Gaza is an Emmy-award winning 2004 documentary film about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, opening in the West Bank but then moving to Gaza and eventually settling in Rafah where the film spends most of its time. It concentrates on 3 children, Ahmed (age 12), Mohammed (age 12) and Najla (age 16).
Contents |
The film follows the children in different aspects of their lives including life in the vicinity of military forces and games born out of the conflict – such as running towards, throwing rocks and homemade explosives, quwas, at armored vehicles; Study materials in schools which focus on Palestinian perceptions of the conflict, as well as time spent with family and friends, including following one of the children as he plays with and helps militant fighters. The film also makes note of the political use of public mourning for conflict enhancement.
For a short while the film concentrates on martyrdom and the opinions of the people there about dying for Palestine and Islam. It briefly tells the story of a young boy who was shot while attacking Israeli forces much like the main boys Ahmed and Mohammed, as well as numerous other unnamed boys. The film follows the boy from being brought into the medical center and the initial treatment, to his death and public reaction, to the parade and his burial, and celebration at his success in becoming a martyr.
While filming, producer/director James Miller was killed by an Israeli soldier. He was considered a martyr to the Palestinians and they waved his picture in the streets. Miller's death came about after he and fellow crew members were attempting to approach an Israeli APC at night time, audibly and visibly suggesting their neutrality as journalists by wearing helmets and flak vests marked "TV", waving a white flag and walking slowly in the open. A first warning shot was fired by an Israeli soldier, and a crew member reaffirmed their neutrality by yelling "We are British journalists". Seconds later, another shot was fired and hit Miller in the neck, killing him instantly. This occurred while the crew was filming military activity from one of the children's homes in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip.
James Miller and crew had intended on illustrating this struggle from the Israeli children's point of view also, but James was killed before even the completion of the Palestinian segment of this film. His death was incorporated as a major part of the film, with an explanation by the narrator, Saira Shah, at the beginning of the film, and the full story and reactions at the end. It is mentioned that Palestinian militants made posters declaring that Miller was a martyr against the film crew's wishes.