"Closed Zone", Empathy for Gaza

Israeli animator Yoni Goodman created a short film entitled "Closed Zone" for NGO Gisha, a group devoted to freedom movement which calls Israel to open fully all Gaza crossings and lift blockade in Gaza.

The film is depicting the combination of animation and real-life scenes of a boy in the Gaza Strip during the Israeli blockade of the coastal territory. About the film Goodman said that it was very important for him to create a character that anyone can connect to.

"I hope that when people see the movie, they will be able to detach themselves from the automatic view of good or bad. People talk about Hamas, but there are many civilians there who are not Hamas supporters but who are suffering from this blockade," Goodman said.

He added that through this film he wants people in the West seeing  that there are people in Israel who are against war, who want peace. "I think many people see Israel as an aggressive country, but this is not my Israel," He said.

Goodman was a the animation director for Ari Foldman's "Waltz with Bashir" which won a Golden Globe for best foreign film and a nomination for an Academy Award in the same category.

source: Haaretz