Advocate
Sundance Film Festival • Biography, Documentary
Since the early 1970s, attorney Lea Tsemel has made a career out of defending Palestinians in Israeli courts: feminists and fundamentalists, non-violent demonstrators and armed militants. As far as most Israelis are concerned, she defends the indefensible. As far as Palestinians are concerned, she's more than an attorney, she’s an advocate. ADVOCATE follows Tsemel’s caseload in real-time, including the high-profile trial of a thirteen-year-old boy – her youngest client to date – while also revisiting her landmark cases and reflecting on the political and professional significance of her work, as well as the personal price one pays for assuming the role of “devil’s advocate.” As a Jewish-Israeli woman who has represented political prisoners for nearly 50 years, Tsemel pushes the definition of a human rights defender to its limits.
DIRECTED BY RACHEL LEAH JONES & PHILIPPE BELLAÏCHE
ISRAEL, CANADA, SWITZERLAND | 2019 | HEBREW, ARABIC, ENGLISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
Up Next in Sundance Film Festival
-
Un Traductor
Based on a true story. In the wake of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Malin (Rodrigo Santoro), a Russian literature professor at the University of Havana, is sent to translate for the Soviet children who have been brought to Cuba for medical treatment. While adapting to this emotionally demanding...
-
Narcissister Organ Player
Brooklyn-based artist and award-winning performer, Narcissister, is masked and merkin-ed clad in her directorial debut, NARCISSISTER ORGAN PLAYER. Premiering at SXSW before going to the Sundance Film Festival, the film deconstructs her celebrated stage shows which combine dance, elaborate costume...
-
That Day
That Day is a powerful portrayal of leaving one's old friends behind in pursuit of a better life. Director Thomas uses subtitles under common street slang to underscore a young man's ascent into the professional world. His cleverly shot short film evokes the universal theme of choosing between ...
