The Black Box Is Orange

The Israeli town of Shlomi was built on land belonging to the destroyed Palestinian village of Al-Bassa, near the Lebanese border. Beginning with the Nakba mass displacement of Palestinians in 1948, its residents were forced out and citizens of the newly established state of Israel were settled there. All traces of the previous inhabitants were to be destroyed, including all Palestinian archives.

Director Yuula Benivolski grew up in Shlomi. She attempts to unravel the history of her hometown—but how can you do that when so little remains to be found, when efforts have been made to erase and rewrite history?

This fascinating study of memory draws on personal archival material and intimate 16 mm footage. Across ten eclectic chapters that sometimes are free-associative and are always visually compelling, Benivolski weaves together the history of the town—from before World War II, through the Nakba and the First Gulf War, to the present day. By zooming in on seemingly insignificant traces, such as an abandoned railway tunnel connecting Palestine and Lebanon, Benivolski relates a powerful history scarred by violence.