A 7-minute blindfold that will wreck your entire afternoon—in the best way.
OBAIDA, a short film by Matthew Cassel, explores a Palestinian child’s experience of Israeli military arrest. Each year, some 700 Palestinian children undergo military detention in a system where ill-treatment is widespread and institutionalized. For these young detainees, few rights are guaranteed, even on paper. After release, the experience of detention continues to shape and mark former child prisoners’ path forward.
Direction
Cassel lets Obaida's silence speak louder than any narration.
Cinematography
The blindfold POV shots are simple and absolutely brutal.
Director
Matthew Cassel
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Military detention of Palestinian children has drawn UN condemnation since 2013; Israel remains the only country to systematically prosecute children in military courts.
Director Matthew Cassel spent three years gaining access to former child detainees; Obaida's family initially refused, fearing reprisal.
US
