Published: 11 November 2019
Last updated: 4 March 2024
Richter is renowned for representing controversial defendants, including most recently, Cardinal George Pell. He will speak at a Q&A after the screening, hosted by The Jewish Independent.
Advocate tells the story of Israeli human rights lawyer, Lea Tsemel, who has represented Palestinians for five decades. Her clients range from terror suspects to non-violent demonstrators, prompting many Israelis to consider her beyond the pale.
The film has won several international awards, including Best Documentary at the recent Antenna Documentary Festival in Sydney, but has been repeatedly condemned by the Israeli culture minister, Miri Regev, for “glorifying terrorists”.
Just this month, as Israeli film festival cancelled its screening of the film following pressure from Regev, which prompted the Israeli Attorney General, Avichai Mandelblit, to attack the cancellation. It “has no legal basis and violates freedom of expression,” Mandelblit said.
After viewing the film, Richter told The Jewish Independent that “Lea’s courage is inspiring and frightening for me because I can’t answer the question: would I be able to be as courageous and steadfast if the need arose here?
“I watched Advocate with a sense of shame for the inevitable corruption of the judicial system brought about by the Occupation. I waited in vain for someone to say, ‘Begin and Shamir would have been hanged by the British as terrorists if the present Israeli judicial system been applied to them.’
“Instead, unsurprisingly, they became prime ministers and share the responsibility for the creation of a system whose only logical vector is an inevitable march towards apartheid.
“It was inevitable that the occupation would lead to this. I believed it in 1970-71 when I worked in Jerusalem and I know it now with a certainty I was hoping would dissipate.”
The controversy over Advocate, directed by Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaiche, began in May when it was named best picture at Tel Aviv’s annual Docaviv film festival, which led to the initial attack by the Israeli government.
The fallout continued when Israel’s state lottery, in response to a campaign from a group of bereaved families, declared it would withdraw its funding for future grants given to best picture winners at the festival in the wake of Advocate’s award.
Israeli filmmakers and artists protested against the backlash, which led to a backdown on the funding withdrawal.
Advocate screens at 6.30pm, November 18 at Melbourne Classic Cinemas, Elsternwick
READ MORE
Right-wing protesters threaten organisers at Israeli screening of documentary on human rights lawyer(Haaretz)
Screening comes after film was pulled from festival line-up following request from culture minister; police ask for screening to be halted, citing tense atmosphere
Israel’s culture minister offers settlers own propaganda film fund (Al-Monitor)
The new initiative of Culture Minister Miri Regev for the establishment of three film funds hides her true purpose — to offer the settlers their own propaganda film fund.
AG condemns nixing of film screening on lawyer defending Palestinians (Haaretz)
Photo: Robert Richter QC (Erik Anderson/AAP)
