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Miral
French film poster
Directed byJulian Schnabel
Screenplay byRula Jebreal
Based onMiral
by Rula Jebreal
Produced byJon Kilik
François-Xavier Decraene
Sonia Raule
Jérôme Seydoux
StarringHiam Abbass
Freida Pinto
Yasmine Al Masri
Ruba Jebreal
Alexander Siddig
Omar Metwally
Stella Schnabel
Willem Dafoe
Vanessa Redgrave
Shredy Jabarin
CinematographyÉric Gautier
Edited byJuliette Welfling
Music byOlivier Daviaud
Production
companies
Rotana TV
Rotana Studios
Rotana Film Production
Pathé
The Weinstein Company
ER Productions
Canal+
CinéCinéma
Eagle Pictures
India Take One Productions
Distributed byRotana TV
Rotana Studios (MENA)
Pathé (France)
Eagle Pictures (Italy)[1]
The Weinstein Company (United States)
Release date
  • 15 September 2010 (2010-09-15) (France)
Running time
112 minutes
CountriesFrance
India
Israel
Italy
Palestine
United States
LanguagesEnglish
Arabic
Italian
Hebrew
Box office$900,647

Miral is a 2010 biographical political film directed by Julian Schnabel about the coming of age of a Palestinian girl named Miral who grows up in the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and finds herself drawn into the conflict. The screenplay was written by Rula Jebreal, based on her novel of the same name. The film was released on 3 September at the 2010 Venice Film Festival and on 15 September 2010 in France.

Plot

[edit]

The film begins with a chronicle of Hind Husseini's effort to establish an orphanage in Jerusalem after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Deir Yassin Massacre,[2][3] and the establishment of the state of Israel. In Jerusalem in 1948, on her way to work, Hind Husseini (Hiam Abbass) comes across 55 orphaned children in the street. She takes them home to give them food and shelter. Within six months, the number of children grows to almost 2,000, and the Dar Al-Tifel Institute is born.

Miral (Freida Pinto) is sent to the Institute by her father in 1978, at the age of 5 following her mother's death. Brought up safely inside the Institute's walls, she is naïve to the troubles surrounding her. Then, at the age of 15, she is assigned to teach at a refugee camp where she is awakened to the reality of the Palestinian refugees. When she falls for Hani, a militant, she finds herself torn between the First Intifada of her people and Mama Hind's belief that she has soaked up that education is the road to peace.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

The Palestinian girl is the author Rula Jebreal. Her novel on which the movie is based is a strongly autobiographical account of her youth in West Bank. She's torn between the injustice she sees at the hands of the Israeli army during the First Intifada and a desire for peace.[4]

Schnabel revealed that the project had relevance for his own family history, figuring that he was a pretty good person to tell the other side of the story, given his background, as an American Jew whose mother was president, in 1948, of the Brooklyn chapter of Hadassah the Women's Zionist Organisation of America.[5][6]

Release

[edit]

The film was released on 3 September at the 2010 Venice Film Festival[7] and on 15 September 2010 in France. The film was set for release on 3 December 2010 in the United Kingdom,[8][needs update] and on 25 March 2011 in the United States.[9]

Miral was initially rated R by the MPAA for "some violent content including a sexual assault." Later, however, it was reclassified to PG-13 for "thematic material, and some violent content including a sexual assault" after an appeal of the R rating by the Weinstein Company.[10]

Reception

[edit]

Critics

[edit]

Miral received negative reviews from critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 18%, based on 65 reviews, and an average rating of 4.5/10.[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 51 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12]

Kelly Vance wrote that "Pinto handles the central role with a certain dignity, but the real drama is in Miral’s rejection of violence in favor of Hind Husseini’s (Abbass) example of education and negotiation".[13]

Kenneth Morefield opined that "Miral is an ambitious film, and it may be that Schnabel's reputation has led to unrealistic expectations about what any film can (or should attempt to) accomplish. While it falls short of greatness, it has many admirable qualities".[14]

Sheri Linden of The Los Angeles Times writes, "The lack of a compelling lead figure, combined with Schnabel's tentative approach to the material, casts the film's later stretches in the balmy glow of soap opera."[15] Justin Chang of Variety similarly adds, "Schnabel's signature blend of splintered storytelling and sobering humanism feels misapplied to this sweeping multigenerational saga of four Arab women living under Israeli occupation, the youngest of which, Miral, emerges a bland totem of hope rather than a compelling movie subject."[16]

Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter described the film as "a political film with a message of hope, on the obvious side".[17]

Miral was reviewed by Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent as "choppily edited" and "unevenly performed" but also "courageous" and "groundbreaking."[18]

Public discussion with filmmakers

[edit]

An open public panel discussion about Miral took place on 30 March 2011 at the Center for Palestine Studies at Columbia University with film director Julian Schnabel and Palestinian journalist Rula Jebreal on whose autobiographical novel the film was based. Helga Tawil Souri, Professor of Media, Culture, & Communication at NYU, and Hamid Dabashi, Professor of Iranian Studies & Comparative Literature at Columbia University, led and moderated the panel discussion. During the discussion with the moderators, Schnabel and Jebreal discussed the events that led to the film's premiere at the UN General Assembly. Schnabel described the film as sending a political message in his discussions with UN General Assembly President, Mr. Joseph Deiss.[19]

The premiere at the UN was opposed by the Israeli government and the American Jewish Committee as it depicted Israel in a "highly negative light." The Jewish-American director Julian Schnabel urged AJC members to see the film, as he felt they had misunderstood its intent. "I love the State of Israel," wrote Schnabel, "I believe in it, and my film is about preserving it, not hurting it … Instead of saying 'no,’ I ask the AJC to say 'yes,’ see Miral and join the discussion." Hollywood stars Sean Penn, Robert De Niro, Steve Buscemi and Josh Brolin attended the premiere.[20]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Miral

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
is a 2010 American biographical drama film written and directed by , adapted from Italian-Palestinian Rula Jebreal's semi-autobiographical of the same name. The film chronicles the experiences of four generations of Palestinian women in , centering on the titular character, an orphan raised in an orphanage founded by educator Hind Husseini following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, as she navigates , romance, and involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during the 1970s. Starring Freida Pinto in the lead role alongside actors such as Hiam Abbass and Willem Dafoe, Miral spans from the 1948 partition of Palestine to the First Intifada, emphasizing themes of non-violent resistance through Husseini's Dar Al-Tifel orphanage while depicting Miral's temptation toward militancy after falling in love with a political activist. Schnabel, a Jewish-American artist and filmmaker known for works like The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, drew from Jebreal's personal history—Jebreal portrayed as a child in the film—to frame the narrative, insisting the story promotes peace and coexistence rather than endorsing violence. The film generated significant controversy upon release, with pro-Israel groups accusing it of biased portrayal that demonizes and glorifies Palestinian resistance, leading to efforts by Israeli officials to prevent its screening at the in 2011. Critics, including some Palestinian voices, faulted it for superficial treatment of historical complexities and a sanitized, Hollywood-style depiction that dilutes the conflict's realities, while it received poor critical reception overall, holding a 19% approval rating on based on limited reviews. Despite Schnabel's defense that the film critiques on both sides to foster , its release highlighted divisions in artistic interpretations of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, with distributors like positioning it as a call for amid entrenched narratives.

Background

Source Material and Inspirations

The film Miral is adapted from the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by , an Italian-Palestinian journalist, originally published in Italian in 2003 and later translated into English. Jebreal, who also penned the screenplay, drew the narrative from her personal experiences, including the death of her mother in 1978 and her subsequent placement at the Dar Al-Tifel Al-Arabi orphanage in , founded by in 1948. The novel structures its account around the interconnected lives of four Palestinian women across generations, blending memoir with broader depictions of life under Israeli occupation, though Jebreal has emphasized her condemnation of violence from both Palestinian militants and Israeli forces in related interviews. Director Julian Schnabel cited personal resonances as a key inspiration, particularly similarities between al-Husseini—who established the orphanage to shelter orphaned children in the aftermath of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War—and his own Jewish mother, who aided Holocaust refugees by facilitating their entry into the United States post-World War II. Schnabel, known for prior biographical films like Basquiat (1996) and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007), encountered Jebreal's book through mutual acquaintances and viewed it as an opportunity to explore parallel narratives of displacement and resilience, informed by his Jewish heritage despite limited prior engagement with it. The adaptation incorporates historical touchpoints from the novel, such as the orphanage's origins amid the Deir Yassin events of April 1948, where al-Husseini reportedly gathered over 2,000 children displaced by conflict, though the film's portrayal has drawn scrutiny for selective emphasis on Palestinian perspectives amid contested historical accounts.

Historical and Political Context

The film Miral unfolds amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, commencing with the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, which erupted after Israel's declaration of independence on May 14, 1948, and involved military engagements with invading Arab armies from , , , , and . The war concluded with armistices in 1949, under which Israel secured control over about 78% of the former British Mandate territory, while annexed the and , and controlled Gaza. During the conflict, approximately 700,000 became refugees, fleeing or being expelled from areas that fell under Israeli control, an event term the Nakba (catastrophe). A central element in the film's early narrative is the April 9, 1948, attack on village near by Zionist units and Lehi, resulting in the deaths of roughly 107 Palestinian villagers, including non-combatants, amid the chaos of intercommunal fighting. Reports of atrocities amplified panic, accelerating Palestinian evacuations from other areas. In response, Palestinian educator rescued approximately 55 orphaned children from Deir Yassin survivors left near 's Old City walls and housed them in her family's mansion, establishing the Dar al-Tifel al-Arabi (House of the Arab Child) as an and that expanded to serve hundreds of war-orphaned Palestinian children, funded through international donations and focused on amid displacement. Later segments reference the 1967 , fought from June 5 to 10, in which preemptive Israeli strikes defeated Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, leading to Israel's capture of the , , , , and ; this imposed military administration over 1 million additional Palestinians in the and Gaza, with Jordan losing sovereignty over . The film's , Miral (reflecting author Rula Jebreal's experiences), encounters this reality during the , a Palestinian revolt against Israeli rule that ignited on December 8, 1987, after an Israeli military vehicle in Gaza killed four Palestinian laborers, prompting six years of protests, stone-throwing, commercial boycotts, and strikes across the occupied territories, met with Israeli security measures resulting in over 1,000 Palestinian and 160 Israeli deaths by 1993. The Dar al-Tifel institution persisted as a symbol of Palestinian resilience, evolving into a broader educational network under Husseini's direction until her death in 1994.

Plot Summary

The film opens in 1948, following the massacre during the Arab-Israeli War, when Hind Husseini establishes Dar al-Tifel al-Arabi, an orphanage and school in for displaced Palestinian children. The narrative then shifts to , a young Palestinian woman from an abusive family who becomes an alcoholic, is arrested after assaulting an Israeli woman on a bus, and while imprisoned, gives birth to her daughter Miral before dying from her addictions. The orphaned Miral is subsequently placed in Husseini's orphanage, where she grows up under the pacifist influence of "Mama Hind," receiving education amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As a teenager during the in 1987, Miral is assigned to teach illiterate children in the , exposing her to poverty, violence, and resistance activities. There, she befriends militants, including a romantic interest in a operative named Ali, and temporarily hides weapons for the group, leading to a confrontation with Israeli forces. Torn between the allure of armed struggle and Husseini's advocacy for non-violence and education as paths to liberation, Miral ultimately rejects militancy, recommitting to teaching as a means of empowerment. The story interweaves these events with vignettes of other women, such as the imprisoned militant Fatima, highlighting generational experiences under occupation.

Cast and Crew

Principal Actors

Freida Pinto portrays the titular character Miral, an orphaned Palestinian girl who grows up in a orphanage and becomes involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after being assigned to teach in a . plays Hind Husseini, the founder of the Dar al-Tifel orphanage, a who established the institution in 1948 to shelter children displaced by the Arab-Israeli War. Willem Dafoe appears as Eddie, a character representing a foreign perspective in the narrative's exploration of the region's turmoil. depicts Bertha Spafford, an American missionary who founded an earlier orphanage in in the early , providing backstory to the orphanage . Other notable principal actors include Yasmine Elmasri as , a militant figure influencing Miral, and as Hani, Miral's romantic interest and a political activist.

Key Production Personnel

Julian Schnabel directed Miral, marking his fourth feature film following works like The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. He also served as music supervisor, incorporating tracks such as those by Marcel Khalife. The screenplay was written by Rula Jebreal, who adapted it from her 2004 autobiographical memoir of the same name detailing her experiences in Palestinian orphanages and schools. Jon Kilik acted as a principal producer, drawing on his prior collaborations with Schnabel and experience producing politically charged films. Additional producers were François-Xavier Decraene and Sonia Raule. Cinematography was led by Éric Gautier, employing color and black-and-white widescreen formats to depict historical events. Editing was performed by Juliette Welfling, who assembled the 112-minute runtime.

Production

Development and Pre-Production

The screenplay for Miral was written by , adapting her own semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, originally published in Italian in 2004. , a Palestinian-Italian , drew from her childhood experiences in an orphanage founded by Hind Husseini following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Julian became involved after meeting Jebreal at a party in 2007, where he was struck by her story; he later read her novel following an encounter at an exhibition in and committed to directing the film. rejected Jebreal's initial script draft as overly conventional and requested a rewrite, leading to a closer collaboration that emphasized personal narrative over broad political exposition; they continued refining the script on location during production. Pre-production officially began in March 2009, with slated to commence on April 19, 2009, in locations including , , and to capture authentic settings amid the Israeli-Palestinian context. Casting focused on actors who could embody emotional authenticity rather than strict ethnic matching; Schnabel selected for the lead role of Miral after a video audition in which director portrayed her father, prioritizing Pinto's resemblance to a young Jebreal and her performance in . This decision drew early scrutiny for Pinto's Indian heritage but aligned with Schnabel's approach to storytelling unbound by literal representation.

Filming and Technical Aspects

Principal photography for Miral took place primarily in , including locations in and , which allowed proximity to the settings depicted in the story without filming directly in Palestinian territories. The production faced logistical hurdles inherent to the region's political sensitivities, though specific on-set disruptions were not widely reported; director Julian Schnabel's choice of Israeli sites aimed to capture authentic urban and historical environments while navigating permit restrictions. Cinematography was handled by Eric Gautier, employing handheld camerawork to convey the film's impressionistic and dynamic style, featuring virtuosic camera movements, vivid point-of-view shots, and a variety of visual textures that emphasized emotional intensity over strict realism. The lush colors and ravishing compositions produced by Gautier's lens contributed to Schnabel's signature jagged aesthetic, blending documentary-like grit with painterly flourishes reflective of his background as a visual artist. Editing by Juliette Welfling maintained a non-linear structure, interweaving timelines through rhythmic cuts that mirrored the protagonist's fragmented experiences. Technical production involved collaboration with companies like and , supporting a runtime of 112 minutes shot in a format consistent with early features, though exact camera models (likely 35mm or early digital hybrids) were not publicly detailed in production notes. No major technical innovations were highlighted, with the focus on practical to ground the narrative in real-world spatial authenticity amid the Israeli-Palestinian context.

Release

Premiere and Initial Distribution

Miral premiered at the on September 3, 2010. The film received its premiere on March 14, 2011, at the Hall in New York, attended by diplomats, UN officials, and celebrities. Initial distribution in the was handled by , which released the film on a limited basis starting March 25, 2011, in New York and across approximately four theaters. The rollout expanded to select additional cities on April 1, 2011. This limited theatrical engagement reflected the film's independent production and targeted urban audiences interested in international dramas. Internationally, early releases included on September 3, 2010, coinciding with the festival premiere, and on September 15, 2010.

International Screenings and Challenges

The film premiered at the on September 3, 2010, where it competed for the . It received its theatrical release in on September 15, 2010, followed by openings across Europe, including the on December 3, 2010. Distributor Eagle Pictures handled releases in select (GCC) countries starting December 24, 2010, and in on January 14, 2011, alongside screenings at the and Istanbul International Film Festival. A notable international screening occurred at the in March 2011, organized by the Permanent Observer Mission of to the UN, attended by diplomats, UN staff, and film industry guests. This event faced significant opposition, with the Israeli delegation attempting to block the screening, citing the film's perceived one-sided portrayal of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as inflammatory and unsuitable for a UN venue. The Israeli government and groups like the condemned the event, arguing it politicized a neutral forum and promoted a narrative lacking Israeli perspectives. Director defended the screening, maintaining that the film aimed to foster dialogue rather than antagonism toward . Despite these challenges, no formal bans or widespread cancellations were reported in European or Middle Eastern markets, though pro-Israel advocacy groups urged boycotts in some territories, echoing domestic U.S. protests from organizations like the . The UN incident highlighted broader tensions in international distribution for films addressing the conflict, where diplomatic pressures could influence neutral platforms.

Reception

Critical Reviews

The film Miral received predominantly negative reviews from critics, earning a 19% approval rating on based on 64 reviews with an average score of 4.5/10. On , it holds a weighted average of 45 out of 100 from 51 critics, indicating mixed or average reception overall. Many reviewers faulted the film for simplifying the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into a one-sided focused on Palestinian , lacking balance or nuance in its portrayal of historical events such as the 1948 war and subsequent intifadas. Critics frequently highlighted structural weaknesses, describing the narrative as choppy and episodic, with Schnabel's signature visual flair—grand cinematography and expressive framing—failing to compensate for underdeveloped characters and platitudinous dialogue. A New York Times review characterized it as reducing "a grand, complex human drama... to platitudes and pretty pictures," where actors like and serve as "ciphers of suffering and resilience." Similarly, Roger Moore of McClatchy Newspapers called it a "botched love letter" to screenwriter , arguing it inadequately condenses 50 years of Middle Eastern history through interconnected personal stories without achieving emotional depth. Even outlets sympathetic to Palestinian perspectives, such as , critiqued the film for stripping away the subtlety and humanism typical of Schnabel's prior works like The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, resulting in a "Hollywood fantasy" structured around a single-issue lens. A minority of reviews praised elements of the production, including its ambitious scope and Pinto's performance as the titular orphan-turned-activist, with some noting the first half's stronger biographical focus on orphanage founder Hind Husseini before devolving into broader political commentary. The Independent Critic deemed the initial segments "arguably the film's strongest," crediting Pinto's restrained portrayal amid Schnabel's painterly aesthetics. However, such positives were often overshadowed by accusations of propagandistic intent, with critics like those at Arts Fuse observing the film's desire to appear "apolitical—or just sublimely fuzzy"—despite its evident advocacy, which diffused its convictions in stylistic excess rather than rigorous storytelling. This pattern contributed to the film's commercial underperformance, grossing under $1 million domestically following its March 2011 U.S. release.

Audience Response and Box Office Performance

Miral received mixed responses from audiences, reflected in aggregate user ratings. On , the film holds a 6.2 out of 10 rating based on votes from 3,657 users. Similarly, reports an audience score of 54% from over 5,000 ratings, indicating lukewarm reception among viewers. screenings elicited divided feedback, with some audiences appreciating its emotional portrayal of Palestinian experiences while others found it overly simplistic or biased in its narrative focus. At the box office, Miral underperformed commercially despite distribution by . It opened in the United States on March 25, 2011, earning $66,244 from four theaters during its debut weekend, averaging $16,561 per screen. Domestic gross totaled $373,420, while worldwide earnings reached approximately $1,132,843, including $145,944 from and smaller amounts from markets like . The limited theatrical run and modest returns aligned with its niche subject matter and preceding controversies, failing to attract broad viewership.

Controversies

Accusations of Bias and One-Sided Portrayal

The film Miral drew criticism from pro-Israel advocacy groups for its alleged one-sided depiction of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, emphasizing Palestinian suffering while portraying Israeli actions in a uniformly negative manner without sufficient historical context. The American Jewish Committee (AJC) condemned the film in March 2011, stating that it "portrays Israel in a negative light" by focusing on events like the Deir Yassin massacre and Israeli military responses without addressing the broader context of Arab-initiated violence or the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The AJC urged the United Nations to cancel a planned screening at its headquarters, arguing that the film's narrative advanced a politicized Palestinian agenda unsuitable for the venue. Israel's UN delegation echoed these concerns, attempting to block the screening on , 2011, on grounds that Miral constituted a "one-sided, political " that lacked balance and promoted an exclusively Palestinian viewpoint, potentially influencing international opinion unfairly. Critics, including some within Jewish communities, labeled the film as pro-Palestinian that risked anti-Semitic undertones by humanizing Palestinian militants while depicting Israeli security measures—such as checkpoints and raids—as gratuitously harsh, without referencing preceding terrorist acts or suicide bombings that prompted them. Additional accusations highlighted the film's selective omission of key facts, such as the rejection of partition plans by Arab leaders in 1947 or the role of Palestinian factions in initiating hostilities, which critics argued distorted causal realities of the conflict and fostered a narrative of Israeli aggression as unprovoked. Student and media reviews noted the portrayal's lack of Israeli perspectives, describing scenes of violence against Palestinians as unchallenged while failing to depict reciprocal threats to Israeli civilians, rendering the story "terribly one-sided." These critiques were amplified by protests from groups like the Anti-Defamation League, which viewed the film's release as exacerbating tensions amid ongoing peace process failures.

Protests and Political Backlash

The planned screening of Miral at the United Nations General Assembly on March 14, 2011, prompted significant diplomatic and organizational protests from pro-Israel entities, who argued the event misused the UN platform to promote a biased narrative. Israel's deputy UN ambassador, Haim Waxman, formally requested UN General Assembly President Joseph Deiss to reconsider the decision, describing it as "an inappropriate use" of the venue given the film's focus on Palestinian experiences without sufficient Israeli context. The (ADL) sent a letter to Deiss objecting to the screening's sponsorship and location, contending that the film distorted facts about and omitted necessary historical context for events depicted, such as actions by Israeli forces. Similarly, the (AJC), through Executive Director David Harris, issued a public letter protesting the event, criticizing the film's portrayal of the Israeli army as lacking balance and reinforcing anti-Israel sentiments already prevalent at the UN. These groups emphasized respect for artistic expression but opposed the UN's endorsement of what they viewed as a one-sided depiction favoring Palestinian perspectives. Despite the opposition, the screening proceeded as scheduled, followed by a moderated by featuring director and author . Broader political backlash emerged from U.S.-based Jewish organizations ahead of the film's New York premiere, where critics labeled it anti-Israel for its selective focus on Palestinian suffering and alleged glorification of militancy without addressing Israeli security concerns or the 1948 Arab-Israeli War's complexities. No large-scale public demonstrations occurred, but the coordinated institutional resistance highlighted tensions over cultural representations of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Filmmaker Responses and Defenses

Director , who is Jewish and an American filmmaker, defended Miral against accusations of one-sided portrayal by asserting his pro-Israel stance and the film's intent to foster in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In response to Israeli officials' condemnation of the film's March screening at headquarters, Schnabel stated on March 14, , "I love the state of . I believe in it and my film is about preserving it, not hurting it." He emphasized that the movie, shot primarily in and the , aimed to highlight Palestinian experiences without endorsing , drawing from the real-life of co-writer , who founded the depicted in the film. Schnabel rejected claims of anti-Israel bias, arguing in a March 15, 2011, statement that ignoring Palestinian perspectives hinders resolution: "If we don't listen to each other, how can we find a solution?" In interviews, he positioned the film as empathetic toward both sides, noting his reluctance to make politically charged works but his commitment to Jebreal's story after reading her book, which he described as a rather than a comprehensive history. He criticized opponents for politicizing the film prematurely, suggesting that viewing it would reveal its nuance, including scenes of Palestinian characters grappling with non-violent paths. Harvey Weinstein, the film's Jewish-American distributor through The Weinstein Company, echoed these defenses on March 14, 2011, labeling critics who deemed Miral anti-Jewish or anti-Israel as "crazy and wrong" and warning that blocking its distribution would stifle free speech. Weinstein argued the film humanizes without demonizing , aligning with Schnabel's view that arose from fear of open discussion rather than the content itself. Both maintained that the film's focus on a specific orphanage's history from 1948 onward provided factual grounding, based on verifiable events like the massacre and subsequent orphanage founding, without fabricating Israeli actions.

Legacy

Cultural and Political Impact

The release of Miral intensified debates within artistic and advocacy communities over the representation of Palestinian narratives in Western cinema, prompting discussions on and the boundaries of historical storytelling in politically charged contexts. Protests organized by groups such as the targeted a screening scheduled for March 2011, with the organization labeling the film as unfairly negative toward and urging its cancellation to avoid endorsing a one-sided view of the conflict. This opposition underscored broader political sensitivities, as evidenced by similar backlash against screenings in , where the film faced restrictions amid accusations of historical distortion. Politically, the film's emphasis on Palestinian experiences—from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War to the —fueled arguments about narrative balance in depictions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with defenders like director framing it as a humanitarian appeal for empathy and non-violence rather than partisan advocacy. However, its impact on policy or appears limited, as contemporaneous analyses noted that while it humanized individual Palestinian stories, it failed to serve as an effective primer on the conflict's complexities, often dissolving into emotional rather than analytical engagement. Sources critical of portrayals, including those from Palestinian advocacy outlets, argued the film romanticized suffering without challenging occupation dynamics substantively, reflecting a pattern where pro-Palestinian works face scrutiny for perceived softness amid institutional biases favoring Israeli perspectives. Culturally, Miral marked a rare Hollywood-adjacent effort to center orphaned Palestinian girls and female resilience against occupation-era violence, influencing niche discussions on in conflict narratives but eliciting mixed reception for its aesthetic focus over rigorous historical scrutiny. Reviews in outlets like The Atlantic highlighted its personal lens on the conflict, yet observed that such films often prioritize emotional resonance over transformative discourse, with lasting effects confined to prompting viewer empathy rather than altering entrenched views. By 2011, the film's controversies had arguably amplified calls for diverse in cinema, though empirical measures of broader cultural shift—such as sustained academic citations or policy references—remain sparse, suggesting its legacy resides more in exemplifying artistic risks than in reshaping global perceptions.

Influence on Discourse

The film Miral contributed to debates on narrative representation in depictions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly by foregrounding Palestinian personal experiences in a mainstream Western production, which some observers argued humanized beyond stereotypes of violence or victimhood. Released in March , it elicited responses highlighting the rarity of such perspectives in Hollywood, with director positioning the work as a counterpoint to earlier films like Exodus (1960) that emphasized Israeli founding narratives. Critics from pro-Israel groups, including the , contended that the 's emphasis on Israeli military actions—such as interrogations and settlements—omitted contextual factors like militancy, thereby reinforcing biased discourse that prioritizes one side's grievances. This backlash amplified discussions on whether artistic works addressing the conflict inevitably provoke charges of partiality, with responding that Palestinians merit storytelling rights equivalent to others involved. The planned screening at the in March 2011 drew official Israeli objections, framing the event as an inappropriate platform for what diplomats described as a portrayal laden with anti-Israel elements, thus spotlighting institutional sensitivities around on the issue. Concurrently, some Palestinian commentators critiqued Miral for softening resistance and aligning with Zionist undertones, such as for non-violence, which they viewed as compromising authentic narratives to appeal to Western audiences. Analyses post-release suggested the film's primary discursive effect lay in galvanizing contention over versus historical accuracy, rather than broadly altering public views, as its limited —grossing under $1 million domestically—curtailed wider reach but sustained media scrutiny on cinematic interventions in politicized topics. This polarization underscored persistent challenges in fostering balanced dialogue, with sources across ideological lines noting how such films often entrench divisions instead of bridging them.

References

  1. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1366409/
  2. https://www.julianschnabel.com/films/miral
  3. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1366409/plotsummary/
  4. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/miral-film-review-29927/
  5. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/miral
  6. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/movies/miral-julian-schnabels-take-on-rula-jebreals-novel-review.html
  7. https://deadline.com/2011/03/qa-miral-director-julian-schnabel-on-the-politics-of-his-controversial-film-114448/
  8. https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/jacket-copy/story/2011-03-14/a-controversy-over-the-movie-miral
  9. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/harvey-weinstein-miral-critics-are-167548/
  10. https://electronicintifada.net/content/film-review-palestine-hollywood-fantasy-miral/9767
  11. https://www.ajwnews.com/julian-schnabels-miral-stirs-controversy/
  12. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2011/03/for-rula-jebreal-and-julian-schnabel-miral-is-a-labor-of-love
  13. https://www.anothermag.com/art-photography/667/rula-jebreal-miral
  14. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mirals-rula-jebreal-the-p_b_840785
  15. https://www.wbez.org/worldview/2011/04/14/julian-schnabel-and-rula-jebreal-talk-with-milos-stehlik-about-the-film-miral
  16. https://www.jpost.com/opinion/columnists/miral-a-palestinian-story
  17. https://www.christianitytoday.com/2011/03/miral/
  18. https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts/director-julian-schnabel-on-his-latest-film-miral-1.508761
  19. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2011/06/mira-j10.html
  20. https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/cwr/97178.htm
  21. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/palestinians-double-refugees_2014.pdf
  22. https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-211346/
  23. https://imeu.org/resources/important-events/explainer-the-deir-yassin-massacre/143
  24. https://www.jerusalemstory.com/en/video/dar-al-tifel-al-arabi-institution-documentary
  25. https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-206217/
  26. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/arab-israeli-war-1967
  27. https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/ea/97187.htm
  28. https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2023/12/8/history-illustrated-the-first-intifada-against-israel
  29. https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/intifada-1987-1990
  30. https://variety.com/2010/film/markets-festivals/miral-1117943406/
  31. https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/45595-miral/cast?language=en-US
  32. https://www.fandango.com/miral-135698/cast-and-crew
  33. https://cineuropa.org/en/film/142901/
  34. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1366409/soundtrack/
  35. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/miral-producer-surprised-movies-controversy-171276/
  36. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6576628-miral
  37. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/24/julian-schnabel-taking-flak
  38. https://www.movieinsider.com/m5941/miral
  39. https://jmmnewaov2.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/two-film-critics-walk-into-a-bar-a-discussion-about-miral/
  40. https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/24-frames/story/2010-09-17/toronto-2010-miral-director-julian-schnabel-im-confounded-by-the-ideological-criticisms
  41. https://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134654574/miral-for-schnabel-a-muse-run-amok-in-israel
  42. https://shotonwhat.com/miral-2010
  43. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1366409/releaseinfo/
  44. https://media.un.org/avlibrary/en/asset/u110/u110314h
  45. https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Miral
  46. http://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/2011/03/miral-new-film-about-palestinian.html
  47. https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/box-office-miral-potiche-debut-as-cunningham-leads-another-strong-specialty-frame-updated-243181/
  48. https://international.pathefilms.com/en/movies/miral/redirect
  49. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1366409/news/
  50. https://soundsofcinema.com/2020/07/controversial-films-2020/
  51. https://walkerart.org/magazine/israeli-delegation-tries-to-block-miral-screening-at-united-nations/
  52. https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-julianschnabel-idUKTRE72F9YD20110316/
  53. https://foreignpolicy.com/2011/03/15/julian-schnabel-stirs-up-controversy-at-the-u-n/
  54. https://theplaylist.net/exclusive-director-julian-schnabel-talks-the-controversy-criticism-of-miral-20110712/
  55. https://www.metacritic.com/movie/miral/
  56. https://rogersmovienation.com/2013/01/13/movie-review-miral-julian-schnabels-botched-love-letter-to-his-girlfriend/
  57. https://theindependentcritic.com/miral
  58. https://artsfuse.org/28105/fuse-film-review-julian-schnabels-miral-emotion-beauty-power-and-huh/
  59. https://www.jhunewsletter.com/article/2011/04/schnabels-miral-offers-a-miserable-montage-of-the-middle-east-conflict-47498
  60. https://www.vulture.com/2011/03/julian_schnabel_interview_mira.html
  61. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr477843973/
  62. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ajc-asks-cancel-miral-screening-167258/
  63. https://jewishjournal.com/uncategorized/90161/
  64. https://themiamihurricane.com/2011/04/10/miral-not-so-controversial/
  65. https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2011-03-22/ty-article/american-jews-should-not-be-so-quick-to-condemn-film-miral/0000017f-e749-dc7e-adff-f7ede75c0000
  66. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/16/israeli-protest-fails-to-halt-palestinian-movie/
  67. https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/israeli-protest-fails-halt-palestinian-movie/531-49a085bd-8ecb-49b1-ac88-d1637a6688fe
  68. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/adl-to-un-dont-screen-miral-at-general-assembly
  69. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2011-mar-15-la-et-miral-20110315-story.html
  70. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/movies/julian-schnabel-discusses-his-new-movie-a-palestinian-story.html
  71. https://deadline.com/2011/03/jewish-group-protests-un-screening-of-miral-as-julian-schnabel-harvey-weinstein-say-film-not-anti-israel-113679/
  72. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/mar/14/israel-palestinian-miral-screening-un-schnabel
  73. https://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/w0011129.html
  74. https://www.salon.com/2011/03/23/schnabel_miral/
  75. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/culture/2010-10-08/ty-article/jewish-film-maker-directs-palestinian-story-in-miral/0000017f-e223-d38f-a57f-e67357b00000
  76. https://mondoweiss.net/2011/03/mirals-impact-will-be-felt-more-in-the-debate-than-on-the-screen/
  77. https://www.npr.org/2011/03/26/134878610/Miral-A-Drama-About-The-Israeli-Palestinian-Conflict
  78. https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/03/miral-taking-the-israel-palestine-conflict-personally/72895/
  79. https://www.stlpr.org/arts/2011-04-14/on-movies-miral-only-wishes-it-were-exodus-from-another-side
  80. https://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/will-miral-be-this-generations-exodus/
  81. https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/julian-schnabel-miral
  82. https://www.jpost.com/arts-and-culture/entertainment/israel-incensed-pro-palestinian-film-to-show-at-un
  83. https://mondoweiss.net/2011/04/miral-a-palestinian-disappointment/
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