Uprooted – A documentary film by Donia Mili
“I should of, I could of” made a shorter film, but I was angry, very angry. I felt that we are so bombarded by this propaganda about terrorists and what terrorism is, that I wanted to take as much space as I could about RESISTANCE, and the right of the Palestinians to RESIST” Donia Mili, Director and Producer of Uprooted.

I saw a moving movie tonight. It was not the kind of movie that makes you cry or the kind that makes you angry. Yes... I was sad, and yes, I was upset, but more importantly, Uprooted made me think, question my philosophies, and fed me knowledge that i don't really have access too. There are a lot of great docmentaries floating around out there that pull certain threads together to make a great story. But most of the time it is the pulling together of the threads that is impressive and the story itself is something I could have concluded myself.... Watching the film Uprooted, by Donia Mili, I was fixed on the screen because it took me to a place (physically and mentally) that I long to understand more about, but one of which the representation is so skewed and the brainwashing so thick, it's hard to access from here in white comfortable america. That is, Occupied Palestine.The documentary is shot primarily by the filmmaker herself while she was working as part of the ISM (International Solidarity Movement ), as well as by other ISM activists, an Israeli anarchist collective, and other activists. Much of the footage is shot roughly - to say that tripods were not the priority here. Camera quality was not of priority either. But it really doesnt matter in this movie. The story i well told and artfully depicted. Poetically edited footage shot in the heated midst of conflicts with Israeli soldiers and demonstrations is interwoven with black and white behavioral science films from archive.org and interviews with the likes of Noam Chomsky, Ben Bella, and Leila Khaled. The video is not about who's to blame and what to do about the 'Palestinian issue'. It is much deeper than that. It is a meditation on peoples' right to resist. It questions non-violence. It pushes boundaries that we may have set up around ourselves as comfortable Westerners. What does it mean to be uprooted... like the roots of 2000 year-old olive tree? "Choice is a luxury the Palestinians cannot afford: if they cease to resist, they cease to breathe, they cease to live."

Palestinian resistance to occupation is more widely reported than other anti-imperialist struggles but Donia Mili's take is worth our undivided attention. This beautifully made documentary explores resistance and activism and questions non-violent resistance in the face of a mass land theft by Israeli armed forces.

An excellent documentary and personal journey by Donia Mili. Its long-ish but most worthwhile.
7-7-2007