Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

A sobering, immersive archival journey through decades of conflict, demanding patience but rewarding with historical depth.

Directed by

Göran Olsson

Genres

Documentary, History

Starring

Yasser Arafat, David Ben-Gurion, Abba Eban

Overview

Archival film maestro Göran Hugo Olsson has assembled—from a vast catalogue of footage in the vaults of Sweden’s national television service SVT—accounts of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as witnessed and represented by Swedish journalists. Stories of the beginning of the Israeli state interwoven with the Palestinian struggle for independence. News coverage with Yasser Arafat and interviews with Israeli foreign minister Abba Eban during a visit to Sweden unseen since first broadcast. From the tenth anniversary of Israel’s founding to the First Intifada, perspectives and encounters with statesmen, civilians, revolutionaries, and intellectuals tell the story from myriad angles of an evolving media landscape, revivifying a history of the ongoing conflict.

How it feels

Earnest, melancholic, tense and dark. Slow-burning and demanding.

About

War, politics, media, power

Content

Strong violence. Mild gore and language. No sexual content.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)