The Sons of Eilaboun

The Sons of Eilaboun (Arabic: أبناء عيلبون )is a 2007 documentary film by Palestinian artist and film maker Hisham Zreiq (Zrake), that tells the story of the Eilabun massacre, which was committed by the Haganah during Operation Hiram in October 1948. The film tells the story of the Palestinian exodus of 1948 in Eilaboun, a village in the Northern Galilee between Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. In the incident, fourteen men were killed and twelve of them were executed. The villagers were expelled to Lebanon and became refugees for few months, before managing to return clandestinely.The official Website
The film is the story of the film maker's family, and specially his father's story. Hisham Zreiq explained why he made the film when he said "He choked and his eyes were full of tears, and with a trembling voice he said 'I remember it as if it has just happened' -- this is the way he ended the story, the story of a nine-year-old boy from a small village called Eilaboun, in Palestine 1948, the story of my father, when he was a refugee".Al-Ahram Weekly: Because it is our right
==Synopsis==
The film starts with Melia Zreiq, an old woman from Eilaboun, saying: "I hope God will bring peace to this land, and let the peoples live together - a good life. I hope there will be peace". Historian Ilan Pappe talks about Plan Dalet, a plan that David Ben-Gurion and the Haganah leaders in Palestine worked out during autumn 1947 to spring 1948. Pappe discusses the details of the plan, and how was it carried out. On October 30, 1948, the Israeli army entered Eilaboun at approximately 5 AM. They then forced the villagers together in the main square of the village. They chose seventeen young men. Five of them were taken as human shield, and the rest of the twelve were killed, each in a different location. This all happened after the expulsion of the rest of the village to Lebanon, where they became refugees after a five days forced march to Lebanon. After a United Nations peace keeper observed and reported Israel was forced to allow the people back.The official Website
== Awards and Festivals ==
The film won the Al-Awda award in Palestine 2008 2nd Annual Al-Awda Award , and was screened in several festivals and events, such as:
* Sixth Annual International Al-Awda Convention 2008, California, USA "The Sons of Eilaboun" at Sixth Annual International Al-Awda Convention
* Boston Palestine Film Festival 2008, USA Boston Palestine Film Festival 2008
* International İzmir Short Film Festival 2008, Izmir, Turkey International İzmir Short Film Festival 2008 
* Amal The International Euro-Arab film Festival 2008, Spain Amal The International Euro-Arab film Festival 
* Carthage Film Festival 2008 (Palestine: To remember section), Carthage, Tunisia Carthage Film Festival 2008 
* Regards Palestiniens, Montreal, Canada Regards Palestiniens film festival
* Chicago Palestine Film Festival, Chicago, USA Sons of Eliaboun
* 13th Annual Arab Film Festival, Los Angeles, USA 
* Sixth Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, Minnesota, USA Sixth Twin Cities Arab Film Festival schedule
==References==
== External links ==
* The official Website
* The Sons of Eilaboun in IMDB
* Hisham Zreiq's official Website
* Hisham Zreiq's film Sons of Eilaboun: introduction by Gilad Atzmon
* The sons of Eilaboun in Hisham Zreiq's official Website
Category:2007 films
Category:Arabic-language films
Category:Palestinian documentary films
Category:German documentary films
Category:Films about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Category:Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Category:Films about the 1948 Palestinian exodus
ar:أبناء عيلبون
de:Die Söhne von Eilaboun
simple:The Sons of Eilaboun