5 DAYS

Deftly capturing the mounting tension of a stand-off between soldiers and hardline settlers, 5 Days is a definitive snapshot of a historical moment which also manages to convey the wider-ranging complexities of politics and society within Israel.

In August 2005, the 8000 Jewish settlers living on the Gaza Strip in Israel were ordered to leave as part of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's peace plan. With the soldiers moving in, some settlers elected to leave voluntarily, while others dug in to resist. Documentary maker Yoav Shamir was granted unprecedented permission to record the whole operation.

Using eight camera crews filming over the five days of evacuation, Shamir concocts a compelling documentary that captures an essential part of the conflict within Israel over resettlement (at least between Israelis, as the Palestinian viewpoint isn't directly addressed). The major players of the resistance and the defence forces are profiled, including Major General Dan Harel, responsible for the overall supervision of the withdrawal, and Noam Shapira, orthodox Jew and leader of the settlers' resistance movement.

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D Yoav Shamir P Moshe Levinson S Yoav Shamir, Arik Lahav-Leibobitz WS Cinephil L Hebrew w/English subtitles TD video/2005/94mins

Yoav Shamir's films include Marta and Luis (2002, doco) and Checkpoint (2003, doco).