The First 54 Years: An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation

Avi Mograbi
Part of

59th New York Film Festival

September 24 - October 10, 2021

In his provocative and direct new documentary, Israeli filmmaker Avi Mograbi, acting as his own on-screen narrator, very specifically and pointedly asks what are the circumstances, logic, and day-to-day processes that have allowed the normalization of Israel’s military occupation of Palestinian territories.

DIRECTOR
Avi Mograbi
YEAR
2021
COUNTRY
France / Finland / Israel / Germany
RUNTIME
110 minutes
LANGUAGE
Hebrew and English with English subtitles

Q&A with Avi Mograbi on Sept. 25

It has been 54 years since Israel began its official occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, following the 1967 Six-Day War. That history has been recounted elsewhere, but in his provocative and direct new documentary, Israeli filmmaker Avi Mograbi (Avenge But One of My Two Eyes, NYFF43) very specifically and pointedly asks what are the circumstances, logic, and day-to-day processes that allow the normalization of a military occupation. Though appearing on screen as the narrator, Mograbi cedes the floor to a litany of former soldiers who provide firsthand accounts of Israel’s multi-decade control of the region, expressing in collective incremental fashion how the minutiae of policy can create systematic dehumanization and irrevocable conflict.

All NYFF59 documentaries are presented by:

The First 54 Years: An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation

The First 54 Years: An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation

Read More

Podcast

This week we’re excited to present a conversation from the 63rd New York Film Festival with Rose of Nevada director Mark Jenkin and actress Mary Woodvine.

Announcements

Exploring conspiracy across Hollywood genres, from espionage and sci-fi to superhero cinema, political biography, Shakespearean adaptation, crime drama, cult psychodrama, and the modern action blockbuster, the series includes the first New York City theatrical screening of Tim Burton’s Batman on 70mm since its original release in 1989.

Announcements

Film at Lincoln Center announces its lineup of repertory, festival, and new release programming for the upcoming summer season, from June through September 2026.