Tantura

The phrase "Never Forget" has long been associated with the Holocaust. It's a pushback against the type of willed, collective amnesia that allows not just the perpetrators of atrocities but their descendants to go through life unburdened by guilt for war crimes and the privileges accrued as a result of their commission. The documentary "Tantura" shows how selectively the phrase is applied when the subject is the founding of Israel, which killed and displaced Palestinians and had a negative multigenerational ripple effect that continues into the present day. The movie focuses on the fate of Palestinian residents of the title village in the summer of 1948. A mass murder by Israeli soldiers was part of a grim event that included beatings, rapes, and looting.

As I write this review in May of 2024, my American government is funding the genocide of the people of Gaza. So far, about 40,000 have been massacred by the IDF with an assortment of armaments from our stores, including two thousand pound "dumb bombs." Teddy Katz is a true hero for having the courage for speaking out against his country by writing a paper with full proof with interviews, of some of the atrocities committed during the Nakba(catastrophe) of 1948. One interview subject, in particular, spoke with glee of a teenage Palestinian girl being sexually assaulted. The man belongs in a jail cell.

Katz received death threats for this and every member of congress should be locked in a room and forced to watch this documentary. It will never happen.

Powerful account of atrocities that should never have happened, it's hard to watch but explains a lot. And the cover up at the highest levels makes it even worst and it's hard not to draw similitude to what the nazis did, it's the same thing

To imagine that just 3 years after being hunted by the nazis, the same people decided, you know what is a good idea, lets do the same to someone else.

And to top it all of they were rounding up, chasing and judging the nazis while at the same time doing the exact same thing. Insanity

And it's really hard to see people telling about this crimes and laughing, these aren't people, these are animals.

My heart was tight during the entire documentary. It was infuriating the level of denial and lack of remorse the interviewees felt. The laughing and jeering whilst mentioning awful acts of depravity, made me want to throw my remote at the television.

This is one of the only documentaries I have seen uncover truths about the palestinian history of the nakba. I hope it inspires a new genre of documentaries uncovering more truths. The pain within the diaspora is palpable. Their realities and stories are important.

The director deserves praise due to his bravery in releasing such a controversial documentary.

Of course this film's topic is absolutely essential and I am so glad this story is being told. As for the way the film portrays details (the eerie points where people smile, the reaction of the dog and other animals, the inflections of the people being interviewed) is what made this film so terrifying and so strong. It's also why I recommend watching it multiple times-you'll notice more detail each time. I've watched it twice, a year apart, and found myself catching so many more small details. This film is essential if you want to educate yourself about Palestine and its history, and about the way people lie to themselves to keep their "morality" intact. Ultimately, what I found myself feeling again after watching is this: being afraid to learn, to adapt and to admit when you were wrong is essential to liberation. Every time someone in this film says "I don't think about that anymore," it's so clear that they think about it every day.