For the first time ever, six former heads of Israel’s domestic secret service agency, the Shin Bet, share their insights and reflect publicly on their actions and decisions.
Since the Six Day War in 1967, Israel has failed to transform its crushing military victory into a lasting peace. Throughout that entire period, these heads of the Shin Bet stood at the center of Israel’s decision-making process in all matters pertaining to security. They worked closely with every Israeli prime minister, and their assessments and insights had-and continue to have-a profound impact on Israeli policy.
The Gatekeepers offers an exclusive account of the sum of their successes and failures. In the process, it sheds light on the controversy surrounding the Occupation in the aftermath of the Six Day War.
NIF Film Club discussed this film with NIF’s VP of Public Engagement Libby Lenkinski and director Dror Moreh.
Watch the film at your own convenience by streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Dror Moreh began his career as a cinematographer, became one of Israel’s leading directors of photography, and quickly emerged as a director of international renown and one driven to understand the constructs and consequences of power through his films. He shot several award winning feature films and documentaries.
His directorial debut, “Sharon”, is a feature-length documentary offering a look at the work of Israel’s controversial former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his impact on the Gaza Disengagement Plan. The film was selected for the official Panorama program at the 58th Berlin Film Festival.
Moreh achieved international recognition with his second documentary feature, “The Gatekeepers”, which was nominated for the Best Documentary at the 85th Academy Awards in 2013. “The Gatekeepers” revolves around intimate discussions with six former heads of the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service. For the first time ever, the former heads of the agency agreed to share their insights and reflect publicly on their actions and decisions. In these revealing interviews, they shed light on the controversy surrounding the Occupation in the aftermath of the Six Day War. Having earned both popular and critical success, the film was selected to numerous festivals around the globe (Telluride, New York, Jerusalem, Sundance, IDFA…) and won a string of international awards – including “Best Non-Fiction Film” (2012) by the National Society of Film Critics; “Best Documentary” (2012) by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Best 5 Documentaries by National Board of Review (2013), and the Cinema for Peace Award (2013).
Moreh also directed “Rose”, a six part docudrama series about the murder of a young girl, “To be Mayumana”, a documentary following an Israeli dance group on the way to their world premier in New York, “Under Cover”, a 4 part series about undercover agents in the Israeli Police Department and “Occupational Hazard”, a documentary film portraying an Israeli Journalist on a journey to Iraq during the second gulf war.
Currently, Moreh is working on several feature length documentaries, scheduled for release in 2019-20. “The Human Factor”, film and mini-series, sheds light on the crucial actors in the comprehensive Arab-Israeli Peace Agreements and their not-so-obvious agendas, and paints a dramatic portrait of those attempting to build a new, post-cold-war order in the Middle East. “Dagan” tackles the legacy of Israel’s top spymaster and former head of the Mossad intelligence agency – Meir Dagan. “Corridors of Power” is a riveting examination of how world leaders have responded to acts of mass atrocities in the post-Cold War era.
In 2007 Moreh founded a production company, Dror Moreh Productions, that specializes in international co-productions, with a mandate to make resonant theatrical and television documentary and feature films. Based in Tel Aviv, DMP focuses on regional and international geopolitical subjects that resonate with audiences around the world.