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Christy Garland
CA DK 2018 57' 86'
⚬ Human Interest ⚬ Kids & Youth ⚬ Human Rights
Raised in the largest refugee camp on the West Bank while her mother was in prison, Walaa dreams of being a policewoman, wearing a uniform, avoiding marriage, and earning a salary. Despite warnings that ‘no women should be in the army’ and that she’ll bring shame on the family, she applies - and gets in. But her own rebellious behavior and a complicated relationship with her mother are a challenge, as are the circumstances under which she lives.
Following Walaa from 15 to 21, with an intimate POV and the exuberant energy of its subject, this first-ever look inside the Palestinian police academy brings us the story about a young woman navigating formidable obstacles, learning which rules to break and follow, and disproving the negative predictions from her surroundings and the world at large.
Director | Christy Garland |
Producers | Anne Köhncke, Matt Code, Christy Garland |
Executive Producers | Signe Byrge Sørensen, Anita Lee, Wael Kabbani, Penny Charter |
Production Companies | Murmur Media, Final Cut For Real |
Co-Production Company | National Film Board of Canada |
Cinematography | Christy Garland, Hanna Abu Sada |
Editors | Michael Aaglund, Graeme Ring |
Music | Tom Third |
Sound | Peter Schultz |
DGC Special Jury Prize - Canadian Feature Documentary | Hot Docs 2018 |
Margaret Mead Filmmaker Award Winner | Margaret Mead FF 2018 |
Women in Film + TV Artistic Merit Award | Vancouver IFF 2018 |
Best Documentary Feature | Forest City FF 2018 |
Hilal Award for Best Film | Ajyal FF 2018 |
Berlinale 2018 |
Hot Docs 2018 |
Melbourne IFF 2018 |
Vancouver IFF 2018 |
RIDM 2018 |
Edinburgh IFF 2018 |
DOK.fest München 2018 |
Cork FF 2018 |
Margaret Mead FF 2018 |
IDFA 2018 |
Ajyal Youth FF 2018 |
Göteborg IFF 2019 |
Cartagena IFF 2019 |
One World Prague 2019 |
Seattle IFF 2019 |
| Runtimes | 57' 86' |
| Spoken Languages | Arabic |
| Production Countries | Canada, Denmark |
Christy Garland has directed award-winning and critically acclaimed documentary features and fiction shorts. Based in Toronto, she often co‐produces with the Nordic countries. Distributed worldwide, Garland's films deliver strong dramatic development, poignant character transformation and universally felt themes. THE BASTARD SINGS THE SWEETEST SONG (2012, Hot Docs, Sheffield a.o.) garnered rave reviews at its theatrical release, “echoing the work of Bresson and the Dardennes” (Globe & Mail). Her latest film CHEER UP (2016, HotDocs, DOC NYC a.o) was called “a biting portrait of young womanhood” by Vice.
