The 18 Cows Deemed a Danger to Israel
- Free Film Screenings of “The Wanted 18” -

 

17 February 2017

Click here for Zulu version.
Click here for English version.
Click here to watch a trailer of the film.
 

In 1988, during the Palestinian “Intifada” (uprising), Israel declared 18 cows to be a danger to the State of Israel. 
 

The 18 cows belonged to the Palestinian village of Beit Sahour - the village is reputed to be close to the place where, according to the New Testament, an angel announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds. In the 1980s, the residents of Beit Sahour (mostly Palestinian Christians) sought to start a small local dairy industry in order to boycott Israeli products and in a quest for self-reliance. They purchased cows from a sympathetic Israeli and set about teaching themselves how to care for the animals and milk them—even sending a community member abroad to learn about dairy farming. The Palestinian farm was a success, with strong local demand for “Intifada milk.” However, the herd was declared a “threat to the national security of the state of Israel” and Israel sought to impound the cows, forcing Palestinians to devise ways to keep the cows hidden. 
 

“The Wanted 18”, a film on the real life tale of the fugitive cows as well as the larger story of Palestinian steadfastness and self reliance (and Israel’s efforts to crush this) has recently been produced. The film combines black-and-white stop-motion animation (claymation), documentary interviews with those involved in the dairy farm, archival footage, drawings as well as exciting re-enactments. The movie, co-directed by Canadian filmmaker Paul Cowan and Palestinian visual artist and director Amer Shomali, has been described as "humorous and thought-provoking, showing the power of mass mobilization and nonviolent resistance as well as nation-building from the bottom up, by the people."
 

In a Huffington Post review, "The Wanted 18" has been described as "an ingenious film that combines creative animation with a story-telling and documentary reporting style, resulting in an entertaining, educational and thought-provoking cinematic experience. Something as original and impactful as "The Wanted" 18 doesn’t come along very often and it is an unmissable film.” 
 

The movie had its world premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and has received various awards including the Traverse City Film Festival Best Documentary award, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival “Best Documentary from the Arab World” and the Carthage Film Festival Golden Tanit for best documentary film. 
 

For a South African audience the Palestinian story of Beit Sahour and the 18 cows has many similarities to our own struggle against apartheid including the establishment of street committees, defiance campaigns, local boycotts, community protests and efforts of self reliance, independence and assertions of human dignity in the face of a brutal regime.