DocHouse Presents: WHEN THE BOYS RETURN + Director Q&A

• Short Film My Neighbourhood

Dir. Tone Anderson
Norway - 2012 - 58mins

In a room at their local YMCA in Hebron, the West Bank, a group of teenage boys come together each week to discuss their shared traumatic experiences. They are just a few of the 7,500 Palestinian minors aged 12-18 who, over the past decade, have been arrested on a daily basis and placed in Israeli jails, where their rights as children are completely ignored.

Most have committed crimes no worse than throwing stones, but each is subjected to an average of two years in jail and rarely escapes without suffering the devastating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Following these young boys as they undergo three months of group therapy, all the while struggling to integrate back into the routines they once knew, director Tone Anderson takes us deep into the lives of some of the conflict's biggest victims.

Astute in its observations and rich with the energy and courage of its characters, When the Boys Return highlights the fear and uncertainty that blights the development of much of Palestine's youth.

Winner: Best Mid-Length Documentary IDFA 2103
Winner: Family & Child Award for Mid-Length Documentary Al Jazeera Film Festival 2013

Director Tone Anderson will join us via Skype for a post-screening Q&A.

Screening with MY NEIGHBOURHOOD
Dirs. Julia Bacha & Rebekah Wingert-Jabi
Palestine / Israel / USA - 2012 - 25mins

In a neighbourhood in East Jerusalem Mohammed El Kurd and his family suddenly find themselves forced from their home by Israeli settlers. Mohammed, enraged by the events, begins to protest alongside his neighbours, and is shocked when scores of Israeli supporters come forward to join their cause.

A coming of age tale set against the unrelenting tension of East Jerusalem, My Neighbourhood forces us to see past the often black and white portrayal of the conflict, and look closer at the grey areas.

Winner: Best Short Documentary, Warsaw Jewish Film Festival, 2012
Winner: Special Award, Al Jazeera Documentary Film Festival, 2012

Please Note: There will not be any adverts or trailers and the film will start promptly at 8pm