W e e k 3/4

At this point in the term, I began exploring another idea for my final film: a documentary about censorship on Gaza. The events after October 7th had escalated exponentially, a Gaza hospital filled with unarmed men women and children was bombed by Israel. I wanted to make something that mattered, something current.

The plan is to speak to students and student organizations who got censored, in any way, because of their pro-Palestine activism. I have friends at Student Justice for Palestine, and knew many people in the movement, from family friends to journalists. Although I have no clear thread, I am confident in my ability to get interviews. It is a small story in the grand scheme of things, but it is one I have access to. And that’s what documentary filmmaking is about, unique access. I want this film to be investigative, to feel almost scientific in nature. I want proof, facts, figures, and law texts (The Geneva Convention). I will look at hard censorship vs soft censorship. I will focus on the artifacts: I will research methods to show and analyze social media. I will look at theories such as Orientalism as a potential reason for the censorship. This documentary’s content will be incontestable because it shall show the truth: The scientific incontestable facts of the conflict.

https://treaties.un.org/doc/publication/unts/volume%201125/volume-1125-i-17512-english.pdf

After filling in a risk assessment form, I began filming: I filmed at the weekly Saturday protests advocating for a ceasefire. I filmed signs, activist speeches, etc…