The Occupation of the American Mind Film Show + Discussion
Narrated by Roger Waters Directed by Sut Jhally 1h 22min
Thursday 12th July Start 7:00 pm Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount Street, Manchester M2 5NS
Entry Free
Summary of Film
Israel’s ongoing military occupation of Palestinian territory and repeated invasions of the Gaza strip have triggered a fierce backlash against Israeli policies virtually everywhere in the world — except the United States. The Occupation of the American Mind takes an eye-opening look at this critical exception, zeroing in on pro-Israel public relations efforts within the U.S.
Narrated by Roger Waters and featuring leading observers of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and U.S. media culture, the film explores how the Israeli government, the U.S. government, and the pro-Israel lobby have joined forces, often with very different motives, to shape American media coverage of the conflict in Israel’s favour.
From the U.S.-based public relations campaigns that emerged in the 1980s to today, the film provides a sweeping analysis of Israel’s decades-long battle for the hearts, minds, and tax dollars of the American people in the face of widening international condemnation of its increasingly right-wing policies.
Narrated by Roger Waters, and featuring Amira Hass, M.J. Rosenberg, Stephen M. Walt, Noam Chomsky, Rula Jebreal, Henry Siegman, Rashid Khalidi, Rami Khouri, Yousef Munayyer, Norman Finkelstein, Max Blumenthal, Phyllis Bennis, Norman Solomon, Mark Crispin Miller, Peter Hart, and Sut Jhally.
Praise for the Film
“One of the most compelling and important documentaries in recent years because it helps us make sense of the lies, mayhem, and injustice in the heart of the Middle East: Palestine. Never has propaganda, or ‘public relations,’ been such a lethal weapon as it is in the hands of Israel, its apologists, and manipulators. To reach behind the facade that is ‘news,’ watch this film.”
John Pilger, Journalist and Filmmaker
“A remarkable achievement. Anyone who wishes to understand the deeper reasons for America’s utter failure to bring peace to the region should begin by watching this powerful film.”
Avi Shlaim, Professor Emeritus, Oxford University
“A superb documentary that makes a devastatingly persuasive case that the U.S. public is being systematically subjected to disinformation from its media on the Israel-Palestine conflict. For audiences who have relied on U.S. television and the press, the reality of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation shown in this film is likely to be deeply shocking.”
Jonathan Cook, journalist, author of Disappearing Palestine: Israel’s Experiments in Human Despair
“This is a film that demands to be seen. It shows, with devastating precision, how effective propaganda can hide crimes that are epic in scale and have catastrophic consequences. Please see this film, hire it, screen it, talk about it.”
Ken Loach, Filmmaker & Activist
“I wish every American would watch this powerful documentary. Not only every person of conscience, but every taxpayer, must see it — and then ask themselves if the status quo is acceptable and can continue deep into the 21st century.”
Gideon Levy, columnist for Haaretz newspaper of Israel
An inspiring and moving story of community cooperation, non-violent resistance and sustainable development in the West Bank village of Battir, told by Hassan Muamer.
The Palestinian village of Battir is located a few kilometres south-west of Jerusalem, in the Central Highlands between Nablus and Hebron. It has been transformed through sustainable agricultural and urban regeneration, eco-tourism and the creation of co-operative local enterprises.
Battir became the second UNESCO world heritage site in Palestine and incredibly, through all of this, stopped the Separation Barrier being built through it. Battir is an almost entirely self-sustaining community, which has received zero outside funding. It’s heart-warming success is entirely due to the hard-work, resilience and cooperation of its residents!