Taking up arms in Palestine or choosing a peaceful resistance – Point of No Return
Commissioned by TV3 Catalonia
“Beautifully shot and edited, Taking up arms in Palestine or choosing a peaceful resistance displays a rare level of access to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s al Quds Brigade. The film strikes a fine balance between tension and texture, resulting in a fresh perspective on the spaces that sit between the differing views.”
-News Features Award Jury
This film gives viewers an unprecedented glimpse into the lives of the militants most wanted by the security forces of Israel: the Al Quds brigades of the Islamic Jihad from the refugee camp of Jenin. A new generation of Palestinians, very young and inexperienced, confront the relentless security forces of Israel.
What is the reality of these young people and why have they decided to take up arms in such an uneven fight against an army that is looking for them, capturing them, and, in most cases, killing them? But among Palestinians and Israelis, there are still people who also seek an alternative to weapons, despite the new spiral of violence and the most far-right government in the history of Israel. Are we at a point of no return in the Israel-Palestine conflict?
Biography
Raul Gallego Abellan is a multiple award-winning video journalist and filmmaker and a pioneer in producing innovative and compelling online news and documentaries.
His work with TVE, TV3, The Associated Press Television News, and Channel 4 News has led him around the world – between war zones, natural disaster sites and social unrest. He is also the creator and filmmaker of Fly on the Wall, an International Emmy-nominated series for Al Jazeera English.
His latest work in long-form documentary saw him covering the Hong Kong protests as a DOP, producer, cinematographer, and co-editor for Cockroach, a documentary directed by the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. Director of the multiple-award-winning long-form documentary Pani, Women, Drugs and Kathmandu, Raul has also collaborated with the Global Wildlife Program as a producer-filmmaker doing stories about wildlife conservation and sustainable development by combatting illicit wildlife trafficking.