Ameer Got His Gun

Ameer Abu Ria is about to enlist in the army. As opposed to the majority of eighteen-year-old boys in Israel, for whom army service is mandatory, Ameer is exempt from military service under the assumption that his enlistment may endanger Israel's security. That is because Ameer, an Israeli citizen, is a Muslim Arab. And yet, Ameer has decided to volunteer. He believes that his induction is the way to equality, he believes this is the way to belong to the state he lives in, the state he wants to love.

He is considered an enemy, a fifth column in the eyes of Israeli Jews, and a traitor of the worst kind in the eyes of Arab citizens; the kind who turns against his brothers.

All alone, Ameer sets out on a journey to civic and self-definition, while carefully navigating the thin line between Jewish and Arab societies. Ameer, an eternal optimist, wishes to be both a proud Arab and an enthusiastic Israeli, while his only enemy is reality.

Film Festivals, Screenings, Awards: Nominee, Israeli Academy Awards, 2012 Grand Prize, Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels (FIPA), France, 2012 Special Mention Jerusalem International Film Festival 2011 Best International Documentary Chagrin Film Festival, USA, 2011 London International Documentary Film Festival, 2011