The Meadow

The Golan Heights, the hilly area on the border between Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel, has been a disputed territory for millennia. Assyrians, Arameans, Greeks led by Alexander the Great, Romans and Ottomans – they all rolled through this strategically located area. During the Six Day War in 1967, Israel captured the plateau, annexed it officially 14 years later and built radar stations there. The UN was unanimous in its rejection of this action and the local Druze continue to resist the occupation. Every time problems break out in the region – especially with a bloody civil war going on in Syria for years now – the tension can be cut with a knife. But that’s the situation from the perspective of a human. For ruminants with four stomachs, life in the Golan Heights isn’t so bad. The grass could be more tender, but the climate is pleasant and the peace is disturbed only by dogs and a single cowboy. Jela Hasler has mastered the art of putting things in perspective. She already proved that with her graduation film that was supposed to be about a porn producer, but turned out to be a revealing examination of her family's lack of understanding about her life as a filmmaker. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)