Filmography

The H Protocol a.k.a. The Hannibal Directive (2017)

56 minutes
Production: 2911 Foundation & Al Jazeera English

The H Protocol is the extended director version of The Hannibal Directive documentary.

The Hannibal Directive was a highly classified military order used by the Israeli army. It was created in 1986 by three top army commanders and outlined the measures to be taken in the event that an Israeli soldier was captured during combat. The order’s intention was to prevent the enemy from escaping with the captured soldier, even if it meant putting the soldier’s life and the lives of civilians at risk. The Hannibal Directive was last implemented during the 2014 Gaza War, also known as Operation Protective Edge, during which over 2,000 Palestinians and 72 Israelis were killed.

On August 1, 2014, the Israeli Army invoked the Hannibal Directive at Rafah in southern Gaza to prevent Hamas fighters from fleeing with a captured Israeli officer. The intense action that followed resulted in the deaths of at least 135 civilians, 75 of whom were children. Amnesty International and other NGOs have labelled the events of that day, referred to as “Black Friday,” as a war crime.

This documentary is exploring the secret history of the Hannibal Directive, including its origins, recent use, and implications. The film, made amidst the ongoing controversy surrounding the doctrine’s morality and application, features interviews with former Israeli soldiers, reservists, and civilians who were divided on whether the policy, which resulted in the deaths of numerous innocent civilians, could ever be justified. The order was eventually quietly revoked by the Israeli military in June 2016.

 

The Hannibal Directive (2015)

47.5 minutes
Production: A 2911 Foundation and Al Jazeera English production
Broadcast: Al Jazeera English, October 2016

The Hannibal Directive was a highly classified military order used by the Israeli army. It was created in 1986 by three top army commanders and outlined the measures to be taken in the event that an Israeli soldier was captured during combat. The order’s intention was to prevent the enemy from escaping with the captured soldier, even if it meant putting the soldier’s life and the lives of civilians at risk. The Hannibal Directive was last implemented during the 2014 Gaza War, also known as Operation Protective Edge, during which over 2,000 Palestinians and 72 Israelis were killed.

On August 1, 2014, the Israeli Army invoked the Hannibal Directive at Rafah in southern Gaza to prevent Hamas fighters from fleeing with a captured Israeli officer. The intense action that followed resulted in the deaths of at least 135 civilians, 75 of whom were children. Amnesty International and other NGOs have labelled the events of that day, referred to as “Black Friday,” as a war crime.

This documentary is exploring the secret history of the Hannibal Directive, including its origins, recent use, and implications. The film, made amidst the ongoing controversy surrounding the doctrine’s morality and application, features interviews with former Israeli soldiers, reservists, and civilians who were divided on whether the policy, which resulted in the deaths of numerous innocent civilians, could ever be justified. The order was eventually quietly revoked by the Israeli military in June 2016.

The Érpatak Model (2014)

76 minutes
Production: A 2911 Foundation production
Broadcast: German WDR, Austrian ORF and RTS - Radio Télévision Suisse
Festivals: World Premiere at Vision du Réel International Documentary Film Festival, Nyon, Switzerland, April 2015. Biografilm Festival, Bologna, Italy, June 2015. BIDF Budapest International Documentary Festival, September 2015. ASTRA Film Festival, Sibiu, Romania, October 2015. Diritti Umani, Lugano Festival, Switzerland, October 2015. Diritti a Todi, International Human Rights Festival, Italy, October 2015. VERZIO International Human Rights Film Festival, Budapest, November 2015. ZagrebDOX, Zargreb, Croatia, February 2016. One World, Prague, Czech Republic, March 2016. Crossing Europe FF, Linz, Austria, April 2016. BIFF, Bergen, Norway, International FIlm Festival, September 2016. One World Human Rights Film Festival, Bratislava, Slovakia, October 2016. Romani Film Festival, Budapest, Hungary, October 2016.
Prizes: BIDF Budapest International Documentary Festival, September 2015 - winner of the main prize in its category. Diritti a Todi, International Human Rights Festival, Italy, October 2015 - winner of the festival main prize.

The film portrays Mihály Zoltán Orosz; the hyper-energetic and ultra-nationalist mayor of Érpatak, a small village with a population of 1,750 inhabitants in Eastern Hungary. Delusions of grandeur and a desire for control drive Mayor Orosz. He has divided the villagers into two groups: “builders” who support his vision for the “Érpatak Model,” and “destroyers” who oppose it. His ultimate goal is to establish a “sacred and organic dictatorship” in which order, discipline, and a fighting spirit are the supreme values, uniting the community at the local level and the nation at the national level.

 

State of Suspension (2008)

82 minutes
Screened: Israeli premier screenings: Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem cinematheques, February 2010.
Festivals: World premiere: Levante International Film Festival (in competition), Bari, Italy, 2009

The film examines in nine chapters what has happened to us Israelis after 60 years of independence; what went wrong, and how we turned from victims to victimizers.

The film uses satirical interactions with Israelis, Jews and Arabs, to confront viewers with thought-provoking questions and tasks, such as asking for forgiveness for the killing of innocent Palestinians or Israelis and considering who the enemy would be in a bi-national state with equal rights for Arab citizens and peace with the Arab world.

This powerful film has been described as “a nail gun: sharp and fast, pinning critical ideas down so an argument cannot be obfuscated, and the humanitarian issues squirm away into the half-flight of apathy.”

Hebrew with English subtitles.

The Great Book Robbery (2007-2012)

57 minutes,
Production: A 2911 Foundation and AL Jazeera English production
Screened: Israel, USA, UK
Broadcast: Al Jazeera English

The Great Book Robbery is a powerful and poignant chronicle of cultural destruction. It tells the story of the 70,000 Palestinian books that were looted by the newly formed State of Israel in 1948. The film weaves together a range of storylines to create a dramatic, engaging, and deeply emotional structure. The interviews in the film focus on first-hand accounts and cultural analyses that contextualize the book theft within a larger historical and cultural framework, shedding new light on the Palestinian tragedy of 1948 and its impact on culture.

The Concrete Curtain (2004-5)

76 minutes
Production: A Benny Brunner production
Screened: Israel
Festivals: Palestine Film Festival, London 2005 Arab Film Festival, San Francisco 2005

Variety describes the film:

There’s a Kafkaesque absurdism to the real-life circumstances in “The Concrete Curtain” that, as in Kafka, nobody finds particularly funny. Portrait of the new injustices and bureaucratic pretzel-logic created by the ongoing construction of the West Bank wall (following helmer Benny Brunner’s 2003 “The Wall”) is a rueful document that views related Israeli policies as a blatant land grab designed to isolate and drive away native Palestinians. As the wall’s ugly concrete slabs carve up Palestinian East Jerusalem, and areas are rezoned, residents find themselves in bizarre predicaments. The Israel-Palestinian border sometimes cuts through living rooms, making it illegal for a resident to be in parts of his or her own house. Extended families will now face great difficulty visiting, though as the crow flies, they’re still neighbours. A mixed-race professional couple with different travel-permit cards must soon separate and shuttle children between them, or else sacrifice careers to their newly restricted mobility. Variably outraged, resigned and simply incredulous, interviewees (speaking primarily in English) are everything but surprised at governmental manoeuvres the pic’s intertitles ironically dub “Israeli humour.”

Hebrew with English subtitles.

The Wall (2003)

54 minutes
Production: A Benny Brunner and VPRO (Dutch TV) co-production
Screened: Israel
Broadcast: Dutch TV
Festivals: 2004 Toronto JFF 2004 Barcelona International Jewish Film Festival (BIJFF) 2004 Vienna Jewish Film Week

The Wall is a provocative documentary that explores the controversy surrounding the “security fence” or “terror prevention barrier” built by Israel to separate it from the occupied West Bank. The Palestinians view the fence as a land grab. In this film, director Benny Brunner presents a critical perspective on the wall, portraying it as a manifestation of the deeper issues facing Israel. The film includes interviews with Israeli leftists such as journalist Amira Hass and political activist Haim Hanegbi, who strongly denounce the wall, as well as Palestinians who detail the negative effects of the wall on their daily lives and livelihoods. This timely film, produced for Dutch television, is certain to spark debate and discussion.

The Lobby (2003)

25 minutes
Production: A Benny Brunner and IKON (Dutch TV) production
Broadcast: Dutch TV and Al Jazeera English

How powerful is the Jewish lobby in America? This is the central question explored in the film. Considering the pro-Israeli attitude of every recent U.S. administration, it is often suggested that the Jewish lobby dictates Washington’s Middle East policy. AIPAC makes and breaks politicians’ careers, like the NRA and the former Christian Coalition. However, does this organization really have a major influence on U.S. foreign policy? In The Lobby people from varying backgrounds with diverse political attitudes, present their opinion on this matter. Interviewed are:

Steven Grossman – former president of AIPAC.
Malcolm Hoenlein – Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations representative.
Denise Majette – Georgia congresswoman.
J.J. Goldberg – Jewish weekly Forward editor.
Janet McMahon – Washington Report editor.
Noam Chomsky – MIT professor.

The opinions of these and the other interviewees form a rounded, rational and unemotional conversation about a frequently avoided subject.

The Children of Abraham & Sophie (2002)

95 minutes
Production: A Benny Brunner, Humanistische Omroep (Dutch TV), LASSO Film & TV Production, and Noga Communications (Israel’s Channel 8) production with financial support from the STIFO
Broadcast: The Netherlands, Israel
Festivals: Toronto JFF, 2004 Barcelona International Jewish Film Festival (BIJFF ), 2004 Vienna Jewish Film Week, 2004

When Abraham Braun and Sophie Schopf first met at the opera house in Breslau, Germany, in 1920, it was love at first sight. Both were 20 years old, Abraham was a German Jew and Sophie was a German Catholic. A year later, after Sophie converted to Judaism, the couple married. In 1924, they emigrated from Germany to Palestine with their first son, Yehezkel. Eighty years later, the life story of their youngest son, Mordechai Bar-On, reveals a unique and complex drama involving Christians, Jews, Muslims, Holocaust victims, and Nazis.

It Is No Dream (2002, Co-directed with Joseph Rochlitz)

53 minutes
Production: A Benny Brunner, Joseph Rochlitz, IKON (Dutch TV) production
Broadcast: 2002: YLE (Finland), SVT (Sweden), SBS (Australia), ETB & TVC (Spain). A 30 min. version of the film was broadcast by IKON (Dutch television)
Festivals: 2003 SF JFF; 2004 Toronto JFF; 2004 Barcelona International Jewish Film Festival (BIJFF ); 2004 Vienna Jewish Film Week

“If you will it, it is no dream,” wrote Theodor Herzl, the founder of political Zionism, in 1902 as he dreamed of creating a utopian state for the Jews. One hundred years later, some of the most vocal critics of Israel’s occupation policies are Israelis themselves – a minority of intellectuals, political activists, and artists whose voices are not often heard beyond the borders of Israel.

Kosher Friendly (2001, Co-directed with Joseph Rochlitz)

30 minutes
Production: A Benny Brunner, Joseph Rochlitz, NIKmedia (Dutch TV) production
Screened: Wroclaw, Poland
Broadcast: The Netherlands
Festivals: 2002 Seattle JFF; 2003 Warsaw JFF

Young Poles in Wroclaw, Poland, with one Jewish grandparent or grand-grandparent, are looking for their Jewish origins while negotiating their complex identities by celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas and having the desire to open a Jewish restaurant but being unable for financial reasons to keep it strictly kosher, thus compromise on a kosher friendly establishment.

Polish and English with English subtitles.

 

 

Blood Money (1999-2000)

60 minutes
Production: A Benny Brunner and ZDF/ARTE production
Broadcast: Europe

Blood Money explores the motivations and political manoeuvres behind the complex restitution and compensation agreements, also known as “Wiedergutmachung” or “making amends,” between Germany, Israel, and the Jewish world. Through emotionally charged testimony from victims, former government officials, and lawyers, this film tells a unique story from the perspectives of the parties involved.

 

A film by Benny Brunner & Daniel Cil Brecher

Written by Daniel Cil Brecher

Produced & Directed by Benny Brunner

 

 

Al Nakba: The Palestinian Catastrophe 1948 (1997)

58 minutes,
Production: A Benny Brunner and ARTE co-production
Screened: Israel, USA, Europe
Broadcast: Europe
Festivals: 1998 SF JFF; 1999 Köln Film Festival; 2001 One World International Film Festival, Prague; 2004, Vienna Jewish Film Week

Al Nakba: The Palestinian Catastrophe 1948 is a groundbreaking documentary film that comprehensively examines the events that resulted in the creation of over 700,000 Palestinian refugees and the destruction of approximately 400 Palestinian villages at the end of the first Israeli-Arab war in 1948. Featuring historian Benny Morris and drawing on his book “The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem, 1947-1949,” this film is conducted in both Hebrew and Arabic with English voice-over. It is widely regarded as the first film to seriously tackle these historic events.

 

The Avengers (1996, co-directed with John A. Kantara)

10 minutes
Production: A Die Zeit TV-Magazin production
Broadcast: Germany, France, The Netherlands

At the end of WW II, Jewish ex-partisans came up with a plan that fired up their burning need to avenge the murdered six million Jews in the Holocaust, by killing six million Germans by posing the water supply systems in major German cities.

Hebrew with German voice-over.

The Seventh Million – The Israelis and the Holocaust (1995)

2x55 minutes
Production: A Benny Brunner, ARTE, ZDF, ViewPOINT Productions, IBA, production
Broadcast: (as thematic evening) Germany, France, The Netherlands, and Israel. Just broadcast: Australia
Festivals: 1996 IDFA; 1996 Jerusalem International Film Festival (JIFF); 1997 SF JFF; 1998 San Diego Jewish Film Festival (SD JFF); 2004 Barcelona International Jewish Film Festival (BIJFF)

The Seventh Million is a thought-provoking documentary series. It is based on a book by Israeli historian Tom Segev. The film, directed by Benny Brunner and written by Segev, examines some of the most sensitive and previously undisclosed chapters of Israeli history. It explores the Zionist leadership’s ambiguous response to the Holocaust as it was occurring and the challenges that the new state of Israel faced in dealing with the trauma of the Holocaust. The film also portrays the often-negative reception of Holocaust survivors in pre-Israel Palestine and in the new state of Israel, where they were frequently ignored or scorned by a society focused on heroism and the creation of a “new man.”

A key moment in Israel’s coming to terms with the legacy of the Holocaust was the Eichmann trial in the early 1960s, which was broadcast live on Israeli radio. The trial served not only as a form of group therapy for the entire nation but also as a turning point in the Israeli attitude towards Holocaust survivors, who were finally able to share their stories publicly.

Segev’s narration is supplemented by a range of interesting and compelling archival footage, dramatic location shooting, and visits to Holocaust memorial sites in Israel and Poland. The film also features interviews with well-known Israeli writers who witnessed many of the events depicted in the film, providing a counterpoint to Segev’s arguments and creating an engaging dialectic.

Overall, “The Seventh Million” provides valuable context for understanding the profound impact of the Holocaust on the Israeli psyche. It takes a critical look at the complex relationship between the Holocaust and Israel’s cultural and political identity in the first 50 years following this devastating event in Jewish history.

Cauchemar (1992)

50 minutes
Production: A HOS (Dutch television) production
Broadcast: The Netherlands

A look at Russian history’s darkest aspects.

A Philosopher For All Seasons (1991 )

54 minutes
Production: A ViewPOINT Productions and HOS (Dutch television) co-production
Broadcast: The Netherlands, Australia, Israel
Prizes: Won a special commendation at the 1991 ‘European Non-Fiction Films Competition – Prix D’Europa

This documentary film is a thought-provoking portrait of the late Professor Yeshayahu Leibowitz, a prominent and outspoken critic of Israeli occupation politics. He famously coined the term “Judeo-Nazi” during the 1982 Lebanon War to describe Israel’s military mentality. The film explores Leibowitz’s opinions and views on history, Judaism, ethics, religion and politics; featuring contributions from authors Amos Oz, A.B. Yehoshua, and journalist B. Michael. Conducted in Hebrew with English subtitles.

Romania, The Taming of The Intellectuals (1990)

50 minutes
Production: A Benny Brunner, ViewPOINT Productions and NOS (Dutch TV) production
Broadcast: The Netherlands, Finland, Australia, and Israel

The film examines the motivation and history behind the collaboration of Romania’s intellectuals with the communists in general and the Ceaucescu regime in particular.

Romanian with English subtitles.

Blind Encounters ()

Narrative, comedy, 18 minutes

Kate, a dazzling woman in her mid-20s confidently strolls through the park on her way to rendezvous with a promising young man. Her charm turns heads from both genders. However, upon meeting her date, she realises that it’s only the beginning of an unforgettable adventure – or is it a misadventure?

Cast: Carolina Buhck, Daisy Verma, Bart Kalisvaart, Domenico Gemoli, Borna Japundzic, Bart van Langen, Denzel Ndongosi

Musicians & Performers: Camille Gribbons – vocals, Alexander van Eck – keyboard, Adam Szeky – bass

Trivia: The premiere event took place on November 29, 2023, at the old Film Museum in Vondelpark, Amsterdam.

Don’t Say You Didn’t Know ()

This is a short, 24-minute version of IT IS NO DREAM, featuring Israeli voices against the occupation dating back to 2002.

The film was commissioned by the Dutch broadcaster IKON in 2002.

Co-produced & directed by Joseph Rochlitz and me.