About
Ameer Abu Ria is about to enlist in the army. As opposed to the majority of eighteen-year-old boys in Israel, for whom army service is mandatory, Ameer is exempt from military service under the assumption that his enlistment may endanger Israel's security. That is because Ameer, an Israeli citizen, is a Muslim Arab. And yet, Ameer has decided to volunteer. He believes that his induction is the way to equality, he believes this is the way to belong to the state he lives in, the state he wants to love.
He is considered an enemy, a fifth column in the eyes of Israeli Jews, and a traitor of the worst kind in the eyes of Arab citizens; the kind who turns against his brothers.
All alone, Ameer sets out on a journey to civic and self-definition, while carefully navigating the thin line between Jewish and Arab societies. Ameer, an eternal optimist, wishes to be both a proud Arab and an enthusiastic Israeli, while his only enemy is reality. The film lays bare the different types of citizenship within the Israeli state.
Reviews
“The film refrains from grand gestures or political slogans; it does not offer any simplistic solutions. Striking in its modesty and clarity, it allows the different voices to be heard, letting questions rise and moving the viewer to think further. Ameer Got His Gun is a sensitive and intelligent film portraying an individual as he navigates the surreal terrain of his life.” — Midnight East
“Never has a film summed up so neatly the dilemma of Israel's largest ethnic minority without resorting to didacticism or political dogmatism.” — Jewish Daily Forward
Credits
Ameer Got His Gun
Director
Naomi Levari
Producer
Saar Yogev
Cinematography
Yoram Millo
Yoav Kosh
Naomi Levari
Sound Recorders
Tulli Chen
Dror Manzura
Yishai Ilan
Alfred Tessler
Written by
Naomi Levari & Saar Yogev
Production managers
Lee Levy
Yael Biron
Editor
Tali Halter Shankar