Vanessa Ortiz of ICNC and Lhadon Tethong, Director of Tibet Action Institute, recently attended a special premiere screening in NY of the documentary film, Budrus, hosted by Queen Noor. Budrus, a Just Vision film, documents the story of a Palestinian leader, Ayed Morrar, who unites the West Bank village of Budrus in a 10-month nonviolent campaign. Watch the trailer and read the post-film conversation between Vanessa and Lhadon.

Vanessa: Lhadon, I’m so glad you were able to join me for this special premiere event of Budrus, Just Vision’s latest film which documents the successful nonviolent campaign in the village of Budrus in the West Bank. I found the film so moving and full of many lessons. For example, the very carefully considered strategic decision to use nonviolent resistance, the involvement of women as a key to mass mobilization, and the determined effort to build a multi-party movement. For me, those are some of the lessons the film delivers.

Lhadon: I can't thank you enough for inviting me to see this amazing film. Just knowing that Ayed, the people of Budrus and other communities in the West Bank are engaged in this type of strategic nonviolent resistance campaign has filled me with hope and re-energized me in my work for Tibet. It also reminded me of the importance of sharing the stories of our successes because they will inspire others to see how nonviolent change is actually possible. I feel that this is the key to getting more people to embrace nonviolence - they have to see tangible victories to believe that nonviolent resistance can work. The people of Budrus had no choice but to fight the theft of their land, but they did have the choice of how to fight. In choosing to battle nonviolently, they made it extremely difficult for the Israeli forces to marginalize their movement, and, with the help of their Israeli allies and international solidarity activists, they dramatically raised the cost of building the wall through their land. The extraordinary footage in the film shows how this strategy played out over time. You can feel the people's confidence in their nonviolent resistance, and the movement around them, build with each small victory.

Vanessa: I absolutely agree! There are also two elements that make the film so special, that grab the viewer in right away. One is the humble leadership of Ayed Morrar, the popular committee leader of Budrus. His character really breaks the myth that civil resistance leaders require big personality and charisma. The documentation of Ayed in action revealed a gentleman, a father, husband, brother and friend of villagers. He was careful to solicit everyone’s ideas for weekly actions, and he worked in shared partnership with other village leaders. Ayed showed that he was a good listener – for me, a key to effective leadership in nonviolent struggle. The other element that I found incredibly engaging was the role of the women in the village. It was actually Ayed’s fifteen year old daughter, Iltezam, who mobilized women to protest the uprooting of the olive trees through the construction of the separation wall being built by Israel. I loved how she enthusiastically declared, “the men couldn’t stop them, but the women, we could do it!”

Lhadon: Yes, watching Ayed in action was a moving experience. I was struck by his clarity of vision and understanding of nonviolent strategy and organizing principles. In a gentle and direct way, even in the most difficult situations, he would bring people back to the big picture. By empowering the people around him to be leaders and to take action themselves he created a more viable movement that will stand the test of time. Ayed's daughter and the other young women in the village are sweet and fierce at the same time. Their role in the movement shows that, without a doubt, we are strongest and have the best chance at success when we are all together, as equals, on the front lines of a nonviolent movement.

Vanessa: Do you think this film offers lessons for other movements around the world? Would this be a good case history for Tibetans?

Lhadon: Absolutely! I can't wait to show this film to a Tibetan audience. I can already hear the discussion and debate that will come up after people watch it. The question of whether nonviolence can work in our situation and even what is the definition of violence comes up a lot in our movement. When the young men of Budrus become so frustrated and angry at the injustice unfolding before their eyes that they begin throwing stones, I couldn't help but sympathize with them. I personally don't see the act of throwing stones as very violent at all considering the guns that are pointing at them. But then it's so clear to see how throwing stones immediately provokes the soldiers and escalates the situation, giving them the excuse to push the people back from the land where the battle is happening over the olive trees and bringing violent conflict into the town itself. The negative impact that this has on the people of Budrus and the movement itself is glaringly apparent. It's a very good illustration of the need for discipline and strict adherence to a nonviolent code of conduct, even in the face of abuse and oppression, if a movement is to be successful.

Vanessa: Tonight was special -- being able to see the film and discuss it with you, meeting Ayed Morrar and being able to introduce like-minded organizers to each other. And it was great to be part of a special preview of a very important film on a little-known successful nonviolent campaign in the West Bank. Thank you so much for joining me!