Two Kids a Day | Storyteller

On average, the Israeli army arrests, interrogates, tries, then imprisons two Palestinian kids a day. This film documents the Israeli repression of Palestinian society through aggression towards minors.

Two Kids a Day
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Two Kids a Day

Interview with David Wachsmann, Director of “Two Kids a Day”

The subject is emotionally charged and complex. How did you approach the visual and narrative style of the film to balance storytelling with advocacy?

The film is emotionally charged for several reasons and the main one is that it is about children. The idea was to make a film based on the raw materials from the interrogation rooms. Despite the fact that in the center of the film stand four Palestinian children from the Aida refugee camp in the West Bank, it was important to me to present the Israeli side, the occupying and violent side of which I am also a part, as a citizen of the country. That's why it was important for me to interview those officials, soldiers, security personnel and a military attorney.

I interviewed the Palestinian children and the people of the Israeli system on a neutral background, in order to give significant weight to what they say. At the same time let the viewer observe without being able to look away from the scenes in the interrogation rooms. There are nuances in these scenes that are sometimes only seen on a second or third viewing. The things said by the Israeli speakers connect what is happening in the interrogation rooms to the daily reality in the West Bank and turn the stomach.

How did you gain access to the families, children, and institutions involved? How did you ensure the authenticity of the stories told in the film?

It was a very long journey that included searching for the children in the West Bank. Palestinian co-producer Muhammad Babai searched for the children who appear in the footage from the interrogation rooms for many months. It took a long time for Muhammad to gain the trust of the children and their families and then I entered the picture and slowly we built the trust between us.

It is important to say that most of the Palestinian children in the refugee camps and villages in the West Bank only "meet" soldiers who enter their homes and arrest them violently and shoot them at demonstrations and army checkpoints. Or settlers who come under the protection of the army, with the aim of harming them and expelling them from their lands. These are the Israelis they meet on a daily basis who unfortunately represent the majority of Israeli society. That's why I can understand the difficulty in creating trust when an Israeli director comes and wants to make a film about their story. It's not easy and it takes time and rightfully so.

As for the Israeli interviewees, we chose them carefully with a decision that I did not want them to be interviewees who "shoot and cry" but people who believe in their path and who stand behind their actions even today. There were quite a few interviewees that we filmed over the years and in the end did not make it into the film.

Over the years we have met dozens if not hundreds of children throughout the West Bank in research for the film. We knew we wouldn't be able to include everyone's story, but part of the reason for meeting them was to cross-reference information and verify the stories. We heard the same stories over and over again. From different children in different areas throughout the West Bank who were arrested, interrogated, and spent long periods in prison. Children who told about violence and humiliation during the arrests, detention and interrogations. Violations of the most basic rights that children have under international treaties.

And of course everyone repeated the fact that part of the method is to get the kids to incriminate their friends like you can see in the interrogation rooms in the film.

The film addresses large systemic issues against Palestinian children. Did you encounter the same issues, any resistance or barriers from authorities or institutions while making this film?

When the film was released, the Minister of Culture Miki Zohar launched a harsh attack against the film in order to stop its distribution. The minister demanded that we return the state funding we received for the film. His attack was a serious attempt to silence and hide from the eyes of Israelis and the world the terrible acts of Israel against the Palestinians in the West Bank. His action pushed the film to more and more viewers inside the country and across the world who were curious to understand what the Minister of Culture of the State of Israel was trying to hide from them.

What kind of response or action do you hope to evoke from audiences who watch the film?

I must honestly say that I created this film first and foremost for Israeli viewers. In the hope that they will be able to see the Palestinian children and through them understand that these acts are being committed in our name every day.

The main ambition in creating the film is to put the issue of the arrests of Palestinian children on the public agenda. Very few people are aware of the issue in Israel and around the world. Unfortunately, after October 7th only few Israelis are willing to listen and accept that there are Palestinian people who have lived under oppression for decades. And that we as a society are responsible for a genocide that is being committed an hour's drive from our home.

Today, an important part of creating change and raising awareness is through an international audience that watches the film. An audience that speaks about the ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people and the genocide and goes out to demonstrate and express a clear position against Israel's actions.

As a filmmaker, did this project change you and how?

The film reinforced my understanding that, unfortunately, as a filmmaker and as a person, there is almost no place for the views I hold in Israeli society today. My pain for Palestinian children and civilians in Gaza and the West Bank is only growing. As a citizen of Israel, I feel a great responsibility. The genocide being committed in our name will remain on our hands and consciences forever. And nothing will erase this evil and cruel stain from human history. The least I can do against this oppression is to fight and express a clear position with the help of the films I make in the hope that they will reach as many people as possible.

Is there anything you would like to add?

I can only hope that the film will continue to resonate in the hearts of viewers as Gaza and Palestine soon falls out of the headlines around the world, which is unfortunately inevitable. I sincerely hope that the film will inspire people to learn more and to oppose the terrible injustice that has been perpetrated against the Palestinian people for decades.

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