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Doors 6:30 p.m.; Event 7 p.m.
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THE EXPERIENCE

In the years 1958 – 1989, public service monopolies prevailed in Sweden and SVT’s reporting from Israel and Palestine was unique. Their reporters were constantly on site in the war-torn area, documenting everything from everyday stories to major international crises. This extensive material is the basis for archivist Göran Hugo Olsson’s (Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975, Concerning Violence) latest film in which images of the rise of the Israeli state are interspersed with Palestine’s freedom struggle.

Please note there is a 15min intermission mid-film.

ON SCREEN: Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958 – 1989

2024. Directed by Göran Hugo Olsson. Runtime: 3 hours 22 minutes. 

Israel Palestine on Swedish Television 1958 – 1989 is the definitive cinematic account of the background to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through unique and immersive footage. Long buried in the vaults of the Swedish Broadcast company/SVT archives, the film demonstrates how one country’s media perceived one of the world’s longest conflicts.

There is no other search entry that gives an equal amount of hits when searching the Swedish Broadcast company/SVT archives as “Israel/Palestine.” From 1958 to 1989, there was a public-service monopoly in Sweden, and the public broadcaster SVT’s reporting from Israel and Palestine was unique. Their reporters were constantly present in the war-affected region, documenting everything from everyday life to international crises.

This extensive footage makes up the material for the archival chronicler Göran Hugo Olsson’s (The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975, Concerning Violence) new film, where footage of the rise of the Israeli state is interwoven with the Palestinian struggle for independence. SVT follows Prime Minister Tage Erlander and his younger colleague Olof Palme on an official visit to Israel in 1963, a country they see as a social democratic ideal society. David Ben Gurion and Golda Meir receive them. The world-famous Israeli leaders show off their modest homes with impressive book collections. Strong ties are bound between Sweden and Israel and, to a large extent, this is through the Swedish Social Democrats and the Israeli Labor Party.

While the reporters are guided by neutrality, it is evident that for the first ten years the perspective skews to overwhelming praise for the wonders of Israel. After the Six Day War in 1967, this begins to change. And in 1969, the word  “Palestinian” appears for the first time. In subsequent years, much of the reporting focused on the “Palestinian Question.” In the ‘80s, attention is shrouded in disillusionment by war in Lebanon.

Reportage with Yasser Arafat and interviews with Israeli foreign minister Abba Eban during a visit to Sweden are parts of an exclusive archive material that have not been shown since first broadcast. Combined, they tell the story of a changing media landscape, providing tools to understand a conflict that has affected our time like few others.