Wallbreakers | A Documentary about Friendship of Jews and Arabs

The Hurttimurtti team filmed Wallbreakers in the summer of 2017 in several locations across Israel, including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, and Nazareth. At that time, the tension and bitterness between Jews and Arabs were easy to feel. The crew could not interview Arabs from the Palestinian territories, since appearing in a film together with Jewish people would have placed their lives at serious risk.

The team also created the documentary as a response to the rise of terrorist attacks in Europe and other Western countries. These events sparked new waves of fear and hostility in many societies. During their earlier project, Plan A in Israel, the team discovered something surprising. Contrary to common belief, Arabs and Jews in Israel interacted in many different ways.

For this reason, it felt natural for the Hurttimurtti team to return to Israel. They wanted to explore how some people — both Jews and Arabs — managed to overcome bitterness, hatred, and even the desire for revenge. At the same time, the team was eager to learn from these stories.

The long history of hostility between Arabs and Jews is well known. Yet they are not the only peoples divided by hate. Similar tensions also exist in the Western world, though often in milder forms. What remains constant is that hate always creates division.

When people feel threatened, they often build metaphorical walls to protect themselves. Wallbreakers offers a radical answer: even the most extreme hatred can change into love.