Hot House (2006)

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To Israelis, the 10,000 incarcerated Palestinians are viewed as "security prisoners" whose murderous exploits and criminal behavior is an undeniable risk to the Israeli population; to their fellow countrymen, however, the jailed Palestinians are the heroic freedom fighters and martyrs… More To Israelis, the 10,000 incarcerated Palestinians are viewed as "security prisoners" whose murderous exploits and criminal behavior is an undeniable risk to the Israeli population; to their fellow countrymen, however, the jailed Palestinians are the heroic freedom fighters and martyrs willing to risk their lives for the future of their people. In this documentary, filmmaker Shimon Dotan is granted access to the highest-security institutions in Israel to explore just how these well-guarded detention centers have actually become a breeding ground for future Palestinian leaders and complex terrorist plots. These aren't your average inmates, and as Dotan's lens settles on the Palestinian prisoners as they go about their daily lives while reading the newspapers and viewing the news, what emerges is a portrait of informed and organized thinkers who are locked into a conflict that has raged for centuries. While some are committed to the prospect of peace through negotiations, others show no remorse for their participation in suicide bombings - such as the unrepentant female Hamas leader who wears her sixteen consecutive life sentences (for blowing up a Jerusalem pizza restaurant) as a badge of honor. What will become of the future when Israeli prisons evolve into a virtual incubator for Palestinian aggression and nationalism? While there is no clear, black and white answer to that pressing question, director Dotan shows just how the ideology and political force of these determined inmates is increasingly transcending the reinforced walls designed to physically retrain them. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi