Benny Brunner is an iconoclastic Dutch-Israeli filmmaker known for his critical political documentaries defending the rights of marginalised and underrepresented groups. Since the 1990s, he has created films that explore a wide range of issues, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Jewish and Israeli culture and history, European culture and politics, and the lives of inspiring individuals. Brunner’s work challenges dominant historical narratives and promotes democratic values such as human rights and civil liberties, with a particular focus on themes of nationalism and racism.

Brunner has directed a number of pioneering films that opened new paths for others. His 1995 film *The Seventh Million – The Israelis and the Holocaust* was the first to scrutinise the Israeli government’s abuse and exploitation of the Holocaust for political and economic purposes. *Al Nakba: The Palestinian Catastrophe 1948* (1996) was among the first films to delve deeply into the events of the 1948 war, and *The Wall* (2003) was the first to examine the so-called “separation fence” between Israel and the West Bank, later revealed to be an “annexation wall.” In 2012, he released *The Great Book Robbery*, which tells the little-known story of the destruction of Palestinian culture in 1948.

Brunner has a strong record of international co-productions that cross borders and cultures. Equally adept at intimate character studies and works with broad political and historical scope, his films have been widely used by academics and activists as a source of knowledge and inspiration for political engagement and critical discourse.