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When a nation-wide uprising breaks out in 1987, a woman in Gaza must make a choice between love, family, and freedom. Naila and the Uprising chronicles the remarkable journey of Naila Ayesh whose story weaves through the most vibrant, nonviolent mobilization in Palestinian history — the First Intifada in the late 1980s.
Director: Julia Bacha
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Read Local Call, a Hebrew news site advancing civic awareness and activism aimed at ending the occupation and fostering values of pluralism and equality (Local Call can be read in English at +972).
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“An illuminating new documentary, ‘Naila and the Uprising,’ spotlights the female activists who held up a movement—and fought for both Palestinian liberation and gender equality.”
Read the article from The Daily Beast.
“Most surprising — and most ignored — is the fact that women made up the backbone of the uprising.”
Read more on Forward.
“They are the children of the second intifada that began in 2000, growing up in a territory riven by infighting, seared by violence, occupied by Israel, largely cut off from the world and segmented up by barriers and checkpoints.
To hear these young people talk is to listen in on budding nihilism and a loss of hope.”
Continue reading on The New York Times.
“Julia Bacha’s new film, Naila and the Uprising, examines the lesser-told stories of the intifada’s fierce female activists.”
Read the article from The Nation.
“Activist Naila Ayesh says political and economic upheaval in the territory has forced women to give priority to more immediate needs, such as finding work and providing for their families.”
Read the Q&A on The Los Angeles Times.
“The possibility of a lasting deal seems as far away as ever – and the history of failed negotiations suggests it’s largely because Israel prefers the status quo.”
Continue reading on The Guardian.
“One thing that’s jumped out at me while making films in Palestine and Israel is that the media often overlooks nonviolent organizing, even when it makes up the bulk of organizing. Even more so, women who stand at the frontlines are often made invisible in media narratives and historical accounts.”
Continue reading on Women and Hollywood.
“Filmmaker Julia Bacha shares stories of effective nonviolent resistance, including eye-opening research on the crucial leadership role that women play.”
Watch the Ted Talk.
“The intifadas were two Palestinian uprisings against Israel, the first in the late 1980s and the second in the early 2000s. The intifadas had a dramatic effect on Israeli-Palestinian relations; the second, in particular, is widely seen as marking the end of the 1990s era negotiating process and ushering in a new, darker era in Israeli-Palestinian relations.”
Learn more on Vox.
Explore the conflict by comparing maps of the region over time
from BBC News.
"A thoughtful, moving, immensely valuable re-telling of the First Palestinian Intifada."
Michael Berkowitz, HuffPost
"The doc serves to remind us that, even during the darkest of times, the human spirit is hard to crush."
Kieran Fisher, Nonfics
"Depressing as the subject can be, the film, itself, is a beautiful work of art."
Christopher Llewellyn Reed, Hammer to Nail
"The smart direction and tech work are as straight-arrow and determined as the protagonist, telling the tale without sentimentality or meandering."
Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter
