Thank God It's Friday

A day of rest: a day of unrest

Thank God It's Friday Every Friday, residents of the Israeli settlement of Halamish prepare for Shabbat, as their security forces prepare for violence. In this corner of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, resentment among the locals of the encroaching Israeli commune is forcefully expressed in a weekly ritual of protest and bloodshed. Filmed from both sides over two tense years, this alarming doc sees the day of rest turn day of unrest, and the waste of life that it brings.

"Some have the idea that religious settlers are aggressive and dangerous and don't smile", says Tehiya Diteshiam. "But we're human, OK? Normal." Tehiya lives in the West Bank settlement of Halamish. With its well-swept roads, shaded parking spaces and neat rows of whitewashed houses, it's a direct contrast to the impoverished dry Palestinian village just across the valley. "We want our land back but they don't want to give it to us", explains one very young Palestinian boy to his mother. "Until they give it back, we will keep throwing rocks."

Such is the military presence in this region, opportunities for rock-throwing are plentiful. Minor acts of aggression against the nearby settlement are viewed more as a wholesome pastime than ill-advised trouble-making. Young pre-teen brothers gaily speed past their mother to the front-line to roll burning tyres down the hillside into Israeli troops.

As the Friday violence reaches its climax the Palestinian protesters try to reach the settlement and the army fights them back. Inside the settlement teenagers watch the ritual playing out; "You can see, they're trying to tell us something but we don't pay attention". But their initial confidence falters as the Palestinian determination and the violence escalates; "They should come and talk to us...We don't want to live like this every Friday. And I hope they don't "

In uniquely reflexive sequences, both communities are given the opportunity to watch the troubling footage of the Friday battles. The Palestinian community is there to watch, offering loud applause. But only a handful of the settlers bother to attend their own screening. Their reaction is scornful, describing the film as overly negative; "There is no hope here if you look at this film", says Tahiya. But the documentary has troubled her and it's written across her face. With the status quo there can certainly be no hope.

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FULL SYNOPSIS

The Producers


Jan Beddegenoodts graduated as a journalist in 2009. He did his internship with STVS (The National Television of Suriname). After he graduated as a journalist he started focusing on photography and travelling the world. Last year he was raving and protesting in Israel/Palestine which resulted in his first photobook and documentary: THE TASTE OF FREEDOM. Together with Niel Iwens he just finished the post production from his second documentary, THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY, a portrait from the Palestinian village Nabi Saleh and the opposite settlement Halamish. Thank God It's Friday won first prize in Buenos Aires at the biggest human rights film festival of South America.

Making The Film


The first Friday I went to a protest in Nabi Saleh I was blown away by the energy of the protesters and shocked by the violent response from the Israeli army. From that first Friday I decided that I wanted to make a portrait from his Palestinian village but also from the opposite Israeli Settlement. It took me 8 months before I could gain the trust from the settlers and I could start filming in the settlement. During that time, two young guys from Nabi Saleh got shot to death. It was one of the most intense periods of my life.

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