Netflix released a controversial film about the forced evictions of Palestinians in 1948. They are now receiving major backlash.
Besides entertainment, films can also help us understand the world around us. Many movies depict historical events and tragedies because they give us insight into the past and the lessons we can take away from them. For example, Netflix recently released a film from Jordan called Farha. It follows the story of “a 14-year-old girl in 1948 Palestine who watches from a locked pantry as catastrophe consumes her home, right after she persuades her father to let her continue her education in the city.”
This is the true story of how over 750,000 Palestinians were evicted by the forces of Israel and captured over three-fourths of Palestine. The film itself has been praised for the depiction of the event known as Nakba. Nakba is an event remembered every May 15 where they recall the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. In fact, the British government had shown support for the state, but after the mandate was over, Zionist forces established Israel, leading to the Arab-Israeli war.
To this day, Israel continues to have much control over Palestine, and its land continues to be the core part of the conflict.
As Fahra gets praised online by watchers and critics, it, of course, was not favored by Israel. Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad has fought against the film, stating that it was “defaming Israel and presenting the IDF as baby killers.”
Not to mention that the Israeli financial minister Avigdor Liberman stated on Twitter, "We will not allow the IDF soldiers to be discredited. I directed the professional echelon in the Ministry of Finance to take action to deny the budget to the "El Saraya" theater in Jaffa, which chose to screen the Jordanian film "Fareha" tonight – an inflammatory film full of lies and lies against IDF soldiers."
While this film tackles a significant historical event, it is also important to note the people who are a part of this conflict. While it may be easy for us in the West to watch this film, there are still events like what is happening between Israel and Palestine, but in the rest of the world as well. Using film can be a powerful way to deliver these messages about oppression in the world.
These messages need to be seen and discussed so that, hopefully, a better world can come out of it.
Netflix releases Jordanian film Farha on forced eviction of Palestinians in 1948 – MovieWeb
