Megiddo
3 Episodes
"Megiddo" follows 1,000 Palestinians held at the Megiddo prison in northern Israel, where they are guarded by 300 Israeli wardens. The inmates include those who planned attacks, people who assisted assailants and some prisoners have been given multiple life sentences for their involvement in the murder of Israelis. Director Itzik Lerner was given unprecedented access to Megiddo prison for a year and a half. The result is a film which documents the tense reality at a high security facility and the complex relationship between the prisoners and wardens, and especially between Fatah and Hamas leaders in the prison and the commanders of the prison itself. The daily routine in prison is stronger than any political map and the discussion of whether the inmates are "terrorists with blood on their hands" or "freedom fighters” becomes marginal. Ultimately the human interactions that take place between jailers and prisoners hint that it is possible to make life in Israel a little more peaceful.
Year: 2017
Languages: Arabic & Hebrew, English subtitles
Director: Itzik Lerner
Producer: Itzik Lerner
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51:43Episode 1Megiddo - Part 1
Episode 1
In a routine search of the Hamas wing, a leaflet describing the kidnapping of a soldier was seized. Benny, the prison commander, knows that there is a red line being crossed here and decides to go all out. Without prior notice and in the dead of night, the elite unit of Shevs breaks into the wing...
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52:15Episode 2Megiddo - Part 2
Episode 2
In the balance of terror in Megiddo that fluctuates between profit and loss, the Hamas prisoners continue to refuse to leave their cells and the wing commander Sa'ar informs them that they will be judged for it. The concept of time in prison is the main factor in calming spirits. On the edge of t...
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57:32Episode 3Megiddo - Series Finale - Part 3
Episode 3
The intelligence officer is the barometer in the prison, cell phone information in the Popular Front wing. At first light the unit breaks in and dismantles the wing until the cell phone is found, the prisoners of the front start a hunger strike, and only dialogue between the parties calms the spi...