Death in the Terminal is a 2016 Israeli Rashomon style documentary film by Tali Shemesh and Asaf Sudri, recounting the events of the October 2015 Beersheva bus station shooting.

Death in the Terminal
Directed byTali Shemesh
Asaf Sudri
Release date
  • 2016 (2016)
Running time
52 minutes
CountryIsrael

Synopsis

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The film reconstructs the first 18 minutes after the shooting, when an Eritrean refugee was mistaken for a terrorist, shot by a security guard and beaten by bystanders.[1] Security camera footage is inter-cut with eyewitness interviews and video from mobile phones.[2] However, the film does not reveal until two-thirds of the way through that the man on the ground is innocent,[3] leaving the audience to assume until then that he is the terrorist.[3]

Production

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The film is directed by Tali Shemesh and Asaf Sudry.[4][5] The security footage used was not released by the Israeli authorities, but was leaked to the filmmakers.[6] The film was produced by filmmaker Alma Har'el in partnership with YesDocu,[5] and executive produced by Megan Ellison and Mark Boal through his film and television production company Page 1.[4][2]

Release

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The film aired on Israeli TV in 2016.[3] The United States rights were acquired by First Look Media in early 2017 and it was released on Buzzfeed News and Topic.com on 6 September 2017.[5]

Awards

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The film won Best Picture, Best Original Score and Best Director at the 2016 Tel Aviv DocAviv Festival.[7] It won an Audience Award and Best Mid-length documentary at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto.[4] The film also won Best Mid Length Documentary at the 2016 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam[8] and Best Documentary under 60 minutes at the 2016 Ophir Awards.[4][9][10]

References

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  1. ^ Artsy, Avishay (30 August 2017). "Violence, distrust erupt in Israeli film 'Death in the Terminal'". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  2. ^ a b Galuppo, Mia (31 August 2017). "First Look Media's Topic and BuzzFeed News are partnering for the release of the Annapurna and Mark Boal-produced doc". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Rosenberg, Yair (8 September 2017). "'Death in the Terminal' Reveals the Collateral Corruption of Terrorism". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d McNary, Dave (10 May 2017). "Megan Ellison-Mark Boal Terrorism Documentary 'Death in the Terminal' Lands at Topic". Variety. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Ramos, Dino-Ray (31 August 2017). "'Death In The Terminal': First Look Media's Topic Teams With BuzzFeed To Release Award-Winning Documentary". Deadline. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  6. ^ Shemesh, Tali; Sudry, Asaf (6 September 2017). "How Two Filmmakers Confronted Their Biggest Fear With a Documentary". Indie Wire. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  7. ^ Anderman, Nirit (27 May 2016). "Film About Be'er Sheva Terror Attack Wins Best Picture Award". Haaretz. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  8. ^ Ritchie, Kevin (23 November 2016). "Zaradasht Ahmed's "Nowhere To Hide" wins top prize at IDFA". Real Screen. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  9. ^ Lodderhouse, Diana (10 May 2017). "First Look Media's Topic Acquires U.S. Rights To Doc 'Death In The Terminal'". Deadline. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  10. ^ "Sand Storm shines at the Ophir Awards". Cineuropa. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
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