Hebron, only a dot on the world map, but also a place that is known and recognized worldwide as the centre of many conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians. In the West-Bank city of Hebron, holy place to both Jews and Muslims, some 800 extremist Jewish settlers live in the midst of a Palesti- nian population of over 120,000. For three years, Esther Hertog has been fil- ming from within the settler commu- nity, capturing unique scenes of their real, sometimes even surreal daily life. An entire army battalion watches over the Jewish community from the city rooftops. Esther HERTOG spent three years in Hebron where she observed the daily life of the settlers, which resulted in a fascinating document, the absurd mix of soldiers, ideological settlers and their children playing. As a character driven documentary the essential narrative of ‘Soldier on the Roof’ depicts the filmmakers personal quest to understand the daily lives and motivations of Hebron’s extremist settlers.
NAGRADE | AWARDS IDFA
Dioraphte Award for Best Dutch Film 2012;
IDFA – Best First appearance 2012;
Special Jury Mention for International Film, DocAviv, 2013;
Special Commendation – Rai International; Ethnographic Film Festival, UK, 2013;
Nominated for the Emmy Awards – Current Affairs Category, 2013;
Best Direction, Sole Luna September 2013;
Audience Award, HumanDoc Warsaw December 2013