Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2020 – Objector
Like all Israeli youth, Atalya is obligated to become a soldier. Unlike most, she questions the practices of her country’s military and becomes determined to challenge this rite of passage. Despite her family’s wishes, she refuses military duty and is imprisoned for her dissent.
Interview with Director/Producer/Editor Molly Stuart
Watch Objector on Prime Video and Vimeo on demand
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
When I first met Atalya Ben-Abba she was just beginning high school and preparing for her mandatory enlistment as a soldier in the Israeli Defence Forces. She had a fiery spirit and believed deeply in service to others—traits she thought would lead her to be an excellent combat soldier. A couple of years later, her brother (my dear friend) called to tell me that Atalya was considering putting that spirit to a very different use—she was talking about becoming a conscientious objector.
At just 18 years old, Atalya was about to make an incredibly significant decision. And I believed that her story could change the way people understand militarization and the power of young women to confront it.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Well as film critic Wendy Shreve put it, "quietly powerful Objector reels you in and keeps your attention until its full-circle conclusion." By allowing us in on her personal journey to understand the conflict into which she was born, Atalya stirs feelings and raises questions in audiences no matter what they’ve already learned about the issues. And ultimately it’s a story of hope which I believe can reinvigorate interest in the peace efforts of Jewish women is vital, given the ever-increasing polarization and violence.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Objector has a strong focus on family themes, specifically, how Atalya’s family tries to love and support each other across political difference. Atalya, the youngest in her family, navigates the varying disagreements and fears for her future while trying to chart a new course. Another universal theme is a rite of passages, and how they can be challenged and reinterpreted. Atalya tries to make sense of her family legacies while seeing reality with fresh eyes and challenging society’s idea of what it means to become an adult and a citizen.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
When I first started this project, I had $3K raised from crowdfunding and a borrowed DSLR camera. I was a grad student, teaching to pay my bills and pouring all the rest of my time into this project. After I released a short version of the film in festivals, I was encouraged by the enthusiastic reception and applied for a fellowship from SFFILM and the Compton Foundation. That got the ball rolling for the feature version of the film, and with my Producer Daniel Leonard Bernardi I was able to hire some incredible collaborators. Amitai Ben-Abba, Daniel Chein and Andrés Gallegos are all brilliant artists.
Though we conducted many interviews with a wide variety of people, the feature documentary ended up taking a more observational approach, with a close focus on Atalya and her family. The film does not pretend to give a holistic view of the issues at hand, but rather takes an intimate look at one woman’s experiences within them. Every film about this conflict has a point of view, even if it attempts to showcase various opinions. So we chose to be transparent about the film’s respect for Atalya, her political questioning, and her eventual resoluteness, while also doing justice to the variety of perspectives which emerged from those she spoke with on her search for truth.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
I think the most meaningful feedback came from a screening we did in the Jordan Valley. The audience was a mix of Israelis and Palestinians. One Israeli woman said that she served in the military because she felt like there was no other option, but if she had seen Objector at that time, she would have changed her mind. She lamented not having seen the film in time to take the same action as Atalya. Then a Palestinian man said that before seeing the film, he had no idea that any Israelis would refuse to do the military, much less go to prison for it. He said it gave him a reason to believe there is a partner on the other side.
One of my favorite reviews came from IDFA programmer Sarah Dawson, who said, “The openness of your filmmaking approach, as well as Atalya's in questioning the values of her community, are very disarming. You take us on a journey with her in search of the truth about the role of the IDF, but from a standpoint of humility and desire for knowledge, which makes it quite difficult to disagree with its conclusions. It is wonderful for the viewer to observe the progressive galvanizing of her sense of injustice, and her desire to resist. I think this will be very inspiring for other young women too.”
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I’ve definitely been surprised by how much the film has opened people up to perspectives that challenge their previous conceptions. But it doesn’t surprise me that people are drawn to Atalya and her deeply compelling story.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We want to make this film as accessible as possible, so I’m hoping this will increase visibility to documentary lovers, film industry reps, and anyone who would like to host a screening of the film in their community. Feel free to get in touch with us at info@objectorfilm.com or through our website www.objectorfilm.com.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
At this point, we are looking for further festivals and broadcast distribution. We are represented by the wonderful international distributor Java Films.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
As an American—a foreigner, yet not far politically removed from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—I have been deeply alarmed by the simultaneous upsurge in antisemitism and support for the Israeli military, both bolstered by the current administration. So I found Atalya’s message to be urgently relevant to Americans. I believe it’s vital to invigorate public support for Jewish peace activists, given that the US is growing simultaneously more anti-semitic and more complicit in the grave consequences of Israel’s human rights violations.
Atalya is part of a long legacy of conscientious objectors that now form the movement called Mesarvot (feminine plural of “we refuse” in Hebrew). These Israelis are not only critical of their government’s military occupation; they are also unapologetic in their feminist vision for demilitarization, civil rights, and equality. And while only a sliver of their lives and work found a place in this film, I was influenced by each of their unique and compelling stories. My hope is that their acts of civil disobedience can be a stimulus for all of us, no matter what injustice we are facing, to act boldly on our collective visions of justice.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
There is no shortage of debates that this film will provoke… but one question that I think is very timely and global is, “How should society respond to young people breaking the law in order to speak out against injustice?” And of course, I hope viewers will ask how they might play a role in ending the particular injustices addressed in this film.
Would you like to add anything else?
You can support our Impact Project—a grassroots distribution and organizing effort—at https://fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/objector-impact-tour/general_support
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Atalya has begun her studies in Anthropology, Sociology, and Philosophy at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Amitai Ben-Abba is finishing up a speculative novel about Jerusalem, and will be seeking literary representation soon. I have a few projects in development but right now I’m mostly focussing on the Impact Project accompanying Objector.
Interview: February 2020
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Objector
Like all Israeli youth, Atalya is obligated to become a soldier. Unlike most, she questions the practices of her country’s military and becomes determined to challenge this rite of passage. Despite her family’s wishes, she refuses military duty and is imprisoned for her dissent.
Length: 1:15:00
Director: Molly Stuart
Producer: Molly Stuart, Amitai Ben-Abba, Daniel Leonard Bernardi
Writer: Amitai Ben-Abba, Atalya Ben-Abba, Molly Stuart
About the writer, director and producer:
MOLLY is a director, producer, and editor based in the San Francisco Bay Area, focussed on documenting social movements and the people who form them.
Born and raised in Jerusalem, AMITAI BEN-ABBA is a writer, filmmaker, and activist now based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Looking for: distributors, film festival directors, buyers, journalists
Facebook: Objector
Twitter: @ObjectorFilm
Instagram: @objectorfilm
Website: objectorfilm.com
Made in association with: SFFILM, El Dorado Films, Compton Foundation
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Athena Film Festival/NYC - February 28; JFI WinterFest/San Francisco - March 1; Beirut International Women's Film Festival/Beitrut - March; Movies that Matter/The Hague - March; Oslo Arab Film Days - March