5 Broken Cameras - A Review

The power of a camera in the hand of a common man is immense.

‘5 Broken Cameras’ is the story of Israel/Palestine conflict seen from the lens of a common man. Emad Burnat and his 5 cameras succeed in documenting the reality of the Palestinian struggle fought at the lowest level. Each of Emad’s cameras becomes a symbol of the different phases of Emad, his family and his village’s life for a period of 5 years. The destruction of each tells the viewers the violence and injustice that the Palestinians face and the Israelis inflict.

 The small village of Bil’in and its struggle to keep hold of its land becomes a representative of the larger Palestinian struggle. Emad’s first-hand account humanizes an issue that many across the world might not understand.  It puts forward the view of the people who were directly affected by Israel’s wrongdoings. The camera work makes it clear that this is the story of someone who was deeply involved in the protests. 

The documentary when seen in juxtaposition to the media coverage of the same issue paints a very disturbing picture The distortion of truth by world media is a truth that ‘5 Broken Cameras’ leave us with. It also raises important questions on the role of media and how they also succumb to power struggles. War and revolution require media coverage that tells both sides of the story. Journalists by their own ethical code are bound to try their best to do the same. However, it is documentaries like ‘5 Broken Cameras’ that reveal the holes in this theory.

One important question that is raised from the documentary is the responsibility of the journalist. Are they liable only to cover the stories? Are they also not responsible like everyone else to help a person in need? Similar questions can also be asked from the media industry at large. Is the story more important human lives? Leaving us with such questions ‘5 Broken Cameras’ is an excellent documentation of the Israel-Palestine conflict.