Trailer for Censored Voices which will be screening at the Hot Docs Film Festival.
The Six-Day War profoundly altered both the borders and the political climate of the Middle East. A victorious and euphoric Israel took control of Gaza, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank and parts of the Golan Heights. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and Arabs were displaced, and the term “occupied territories” entered the lexicon. Seen by some as an egregious violation of international law—and the legitimate fulfillment of a religious covenant by others—the territories remain in bitter and politically charged dispute to this day. Weeks after the 1967 war's conclusion, authors Amos Oz and Avraham Shapira audio-taped interviews with dozens of Israeli soldiers. These tapes, heavily censored until now, reveal the men’s conflicted feelings in their new role as occupier. They muse over the meaning of Zionism and express regret over the brutal and dehumanizing realities of war. Director Mor Loushy reunites the aging soldiers with lost audio interviews, skillfully combining them with archival footage and historical context in this powerful and compelling narrative.