From Gisha – Closed Zone
Gisha is an Israeli campaign for freedom of movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. They commissioned Yoni Goodman, director of animation for the critically acclaimed 2008 feature-length animation Waltz With Bashir, to create this short one about Gaza. And below that is another short subtitled film in which Goodman and Gisha’s executive director discuss what they hoped to communicate. The message is simple – end the blockade of Gaza for the sake of Gazans. There are also some intriguing bits – note that almost all the hands which block the boy are nationality non-specific, contrasting sharply with the two that are Egyptian and Israeli. And for the boy, it doesn’t make a difference where the rocket fire is coming from – we could guess Israel, and also Hamas and Islamic Jihad – all potentially lethal. And what do you make of the blue bird?
