Advocate
Directed by Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaïche
Israel/Canada/Switzerland | 2019 | Documentary | 108 min
Hebrew, Arabic, English w/ English subtitles
Film Source: Film Movement
Awards/premier festivals: DocAviv Film Festival – Best Israeli Film; Hong Kong Int’l Film Festival – Jury Prize; and many more
Sponsors: Peace & Justice Center of Vermont
Followed by Q&A with Lea Tsemel (via Skype) and Burlington lawyer Evan Barquist
Lea Tsemel defends Palestinians: from feminists to fundamentalists, from non-violent demonstrators to armed militants. As a bitterly divisive Jewish Israeli lawyer who has represented political prisoners for nearly 50 years, Tsemel pushes the praxis of a human-rights defender to its limits. Advocate is an up close and personal portrait of this tireless advocate and a riveting film. Through the depiction of specific cases and Tsemel’s inner conflicts, the film succeeds in highlighting universal questions, such as: What do human-rights lawyers really try to achieve – representation of the best interests of their clients, or fighting for the “bigger cause”? Or, how do you engage with a justice system that represents the state’s interests? ~OY