An extraordinary work of both cinematic and political activism, 5 Broken Cameras is a deeply personal, first-hand account of non-violent resistance in Bil'in, a West Bank village threatened by encroaching Israeli settlements.

Shot almost entirely by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat, who bought his first camera in 2005 to record the birth of his youngest son, the footage was later turned into a galvanizing cinematic experience by co-directors Guy Davidi and Burnat.

Structured around the violent destruction of a succession of Burnat's video cameras, the filmmakers' collaboration follows one family's evolution over five years of village turmoil. Burnat watches from behind the lens as olive trees are bulldozed, protests intensify, and lives are lost. "I feel like the camera protects me," he says, "but it's an illusion."

About the filmmakers:

A lifelong inhabitant of the Palestinian village of Bil’in, Emad Burnat is a farmer and freelance cameraman. He has also worked with Reuters on several occasions, and filmed footage for the documentaries Bil'in, My Love, Palestine Kids, Open Close, and Interrupted Streams, among others.

Born in Jaffa, Israel, Guy Davidi is a documentary filmmaker and cinema teacher. He has been directing, editing, and shooting films since the age of 16. As a cameraman, he shot the films Hamzaand Journal D'une Orange for France 3. Davidi also directed many short documentaries such as In Working Progress, Keywords, and Women Defying Barriers, which were presented in film festivals and venues worldwide. In 2010, Guy Davidi's first feature film Interrupted Streams, premiered to great acclaim at the Jerusalem International Film Festival.