With its decisive victory over just a few short days, Israel nearly tripled its size with its newly occupied lands and, brimming with relief, joy and pride, a new national narrative of manifest destiny emerged. But drowned out by the euphoria, other voices—many of those who fought in the war—had something different to say. It is those voices that are heard in CENSORED VOICES.
One week after the Israeli-Arab conflict, Amos Oz (soon to be a celebrated author) and editor Avraham Shapira arranged to record conversations with returning soldiers about their experiences on the brief battlefield. These intensely candid interviews capture the young men wrestling with the question of the responsibility of the conqueror to the conquered (even when the shoe could easily have been on the other foot), the paradox of a people who fled oppression who must now oppress to preserve their security, and the still fervent hope for a lasting peace with their Arab neighbors.
The Israeli Defense Force partially censored the recordings at the time, but transcripts became the basis for the book The Seventh Day: Soldiers’ Talk About the Six-Day War in 1970. CENSORED VOICES reveals the complete original recordings for the first time, as it reconnects with the former soldiers, now men in their seventies, as they listen to their younger selves. The recordings are juxtaposed with rare newsreel footage and photography of the Six-Day War, combined with a contemporary sound design that allows a unique opportunity to re-experience a war that changed the face of a region still locked in a deadly impasse.
Following its recent theatrical rollout to the USA’s top markets and international film festivals, Music Box Films Home Entertainment will release CENSORED VOICES on DVD and Video On Demand (VOD) for the first time on March 15, 2016 (prebook February 9,2016). Supplemented with bonus materials that include interviews with the filmmakers and a Q&A recorded at the opening night gala of the Other Israel Film Festival, the DVD carries a suggested retail price of $29.95.
The recipient of the 2015 Best Documentary Award at the Israeli Film Academy, the Best Israeli Documentary prize at the 2015 Ophir Awards (the Israeli equivalent of the Academy Awards), and the Yafo Award for Best Debut Film and Research Award at the 2015 DocAviv Film Festival, CENSORED VOICES was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and the Grierson Award at the 2015 London Film Festival. Additionally, CENSORED VOICES is certified “Fresh” at Rotten Tomatoes, where it holds an outstanding rating of 92%
Sample quotes-
“An essential amendment to the historical
record, Censored Voices
reminds us that no war is entirely virtuous and makes clear that, even at the
time, the dangers of becoming an occupying force were evident.” – Daniel
Gold, THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Poignant and provocative. Censored Voices unleashed a thoughtful,
deeply moving moment in time. Unforgettable."
– E. Nina Roth, HUFFINGTON POST
“Censored Voices is an essential
documentary. Its subject is nothing less than loss of innocence, the seeds of
hatred and the illusory nature of victory.” – Alan Zilberman, WASHINGTON POST
Censored Voices, from Music Box Films Home Entertainment
DVD RELEASE DATE: March 15, 2016
PRE-ORDER DATE: February 9, 2016
SLP: DVD $29.95
Director: Mor Loushy
Writers: Mor Loushy, Daniel Sivan, Ran Tal
Running Time: 87 minutes
Format: 1.77:1 widescreen
Sound Format: Dolby Digital 5.1 1.
Rating: NR
Country: Israel, Germany
Language: Hebrew with English subtitles
Bonus Features*
- Other Israel Film Festival Opening Gala Q&A
- Interviews with Mor Loushy and Amoz Oz
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