Director: Amer Shomali & Paul Cowan | Countries of production: Canada, France, Palestine | Year: 2014 | Length: 75 min
Language: English, Arabic, French, Hebrew with English subtitles | Age: 12+ years

Screened as part of TOAFF15

During the First Palestinian Intifada — the unarmed civilian insurgency that included protests, stone throwing, civil disobedience, and refusal to pay taxes to Israel — a group of townspeople in the West Bank town of Beit Sahour decide to buy eighteen cows and produce their own milk, seeking to create an alternative economy as a stepping stone towards self-sufficiency and sovereignty.

Their venture is so successful that the collective farm becomes a landmark, and the cows local celebrities… until the Israeli army takes note and declares that the cows pose “a threat to the national security of the state of Israel.”

Through interviews and playful animation, The Wanted 18 charts a stirring portrait of a community united in defiance.

This film was supported by the Bertha / Doc Society Connect Fund.

The intelligence as well as the charm of “The Wanted 18” lies in how it balances the farcical nature of labelling cows a national menace with the seriousness of purpose behind the community’s bid for dignity and autonomy under occupation.
Variety

endearing… unexpectedly humorous
The Hollywood Reporter

Toronto International Film Festival

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