The Wanted 18 (2014): Run Yara Run

Amer Shomali

Saed Andoni
Ina Fichman
Dominique Barneaud
Nathalie Cloutie

Benoit Charest

The National Film Board of Canada (Distributor)

12/09/2014

75 minutes (full length), 3 minutes (clip)

B&W and Technicolour

Synopsis

The Wanted 18 (2014) is a Palestinian-Canadian animated documentary about the effort of Palestinians in Beit Sahour engaging in the First Intifada (1987-1993), a series of acts of collective civil disobedience and protests against Israeli military occupation in Palestine. During the Intifada, the villagers decided to boycott Israeli products by purchasing 18 cows from an Israeli sympathizer to produce their own milk. The cows soon became local celebrities due to their symbolic meaning of resistance and hence attracted the attention of the Israeli forces, in addition to Beit Sahour being the hidespot of director Shomali’s uncle, a political activist. The Israeli forces declared the 18 cows to be “a threat to the national security of the state of Israel” and conducted a series of intrusive actions to find the cows hiding in the homes of the villagers. Israeli soldiers shot Shomali’s cousin to death during the struggle, signalling the failure of the Intifada. As depicted in the above clip, the documentary concluded with the villagers sending the 4 remaining crows to butcher since they could no longer afford the breeding due to pressure from Israeli forces. However, Yara, the youngest cow, managed to escape, leaving a melancholic opening ending that Shomali chose to interpret as a sign of hope for the future.

The Wanted 18, said Sayfo, is “the most successful (Palestinian) animation to date internationally,” which has a humanitarian rather than nationalist emphasis typical of foreign investment in Palestinian animation by telling a story of absurdity (96; Brownstein, “Don’t have a cow”). The film’s distinctive style lies in its hybridity of live-action footage, where interviewees recall their memories regarding the First Intifada, and claymation animated sequence exclusively reserved for the cows. The filmmakers intentionally shoot in comic-like panels to give the film a comic look (Brownstein, “Don’t have a cow”).

The Wanted 18 was first premiered at 2014’s Toronto International Film Festival, later winning the Abu Dhabi Best Documentary in the Arab World prize (Sayfo 97).

References:

Brownstein, Bill. “Don’t have a cow: The Wanted 18 shows off an absurd side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” Montrealgazette, 14 Nov. 2014, montrealgazette.com/entertainment/movies/dont-have-a-cow-the-wanted-18-shows-off-an-absurd-side-of-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict.

Sayfo, Omar. Arab Animation : Images of Identity. Edinburgh University Press, 2021.

External Links:

See Full Movie on NFB: https://www.nfb.ca/film/wanted_18/