
November 2, 2015
All Day
Thompson Library, Room 165
Screening with director Amer Shomali
The Wanted 18 takes place in the West Bank village BeitSahour in 1987 during the first intifada. A group of activists from the village smuggle 18 cows across the Israeli borderas a part of a larger goal of food self-sufficiency. As theIsraeli authorities become aware of both the “lactivists”and the “intifada milk” and seek to confiscate the cows,the villagers work together to hide the cows and continuemilkproduction. This story of peaceful resistance is toldthrough a series of interviews with Beit Sahour residentsand animated sections told from the perspective of the wanted cows. These compelling narratives areinterspersed with archival footage and original drawingsby artist and director Amer Shomali. With the currentstirrings of what some people are calling a third intifada,the film offers reflections on the meaning of community,representation, and nationhood for Palestinians. Thisdocumentary film has won several awards and is thePalestinian entry for Best Foreign Language film at the 2016 Academic Awards.Amer Shomali is an award winning Palestinian artist anddirector of The Wanted 18. His family is from Beit Sahourand he grew up in a refugee camp in Syria.