Five Broken Cameras
Seen it?2011 | 90 min | War, Documentary
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
Critics loved it (96% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had a box office flop and almost no lasting buzz. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for the curious and history buffs. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Intense, eye-opening.
- The pace
- Moves along nicely, at 1 hr 30 min.
- What might put you off
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
Five broken cameras – and each one has a powerful tale to tell. Embedded in the bullet-ridden remains of digital technology is the story of Emad Burnat, a farmer from the Palestinian village of Bil’in, which famously chose nonviolent resistance when the Israeli army encroached upon its land to make room for Jewish colonists. Emad buys his first camera in 2005 to document the birth of his fourth son, Gibreel. Over the course of the film, he becomes the peaceful archivist of an escalating struggle as olive trees are bulldozed, lives are lost, and a wall is built to segregate burgeoning Israeli settlements.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 78 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
7.5 out of 10
- AwardsBelow par
Nominated for 1 Oscar.
- Box office & staying powerWeak
$109K worldwide
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 15K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Guy Davidi, Emad Burnat
- Emad BurnatHimself (Narrator)
- Soraya BurnatHerself (Emad's wife)
- Gibreel BurnatHimself (Emad's 4th son)
- Mohammed BurnatHimself (Emad's 1st son)
- Yasin BurnatHimself (Emad's 2nd son)
- Taki-Ydin BurnatHimself (Emad's 3rd son)
- Muhammad BurnatHimself (Emad's Father)
- Intisar BurnatHerself (Emad's mother)
- Bassem Abu-Rahma "Phil"Himself (Emad's friend)
- Adeeb Abu-RahmaHimself (Emad's friend)