05/05/2022 - Michael Winterbottom and Mohammed Sawwaf make a documentary about some of the children who died during Israel’s bombardment of Gaza in May 2021

Eleven Days in May is a documentary focusing on the families of some of the Palestinian children who died when Israel bombed Gaza in May 2021. Various members of 28 families recount stories of what their children, brothers or sisters were like before their lives were devastatingly cut short. It's as sombre and heartbreaking as it sounds. At least 60 of the nearly 200 dead were children, although the exact number is impossible to verify. The film will be released in the UK by Revolution Films on 6 May.

The doc was co-directed by celebrated British helmer Michael Winterbottom and award-winning Palestinian filmmaker and journalist Mohammed Sawwaf. Winterbottom had the original idea for the film and edited the footage. He liaised with Sawwaf, who was filming on the ground. British actress Kate Winslet provides the voiceover that gives a brief introduction to where the child was when they died, leaving the rest of the story for the family member to tell. German-British composer Max Richter provides the soundtrack.

The order in which the families appear on screen is chronological in terms of when the child being spoken about died. The documentary starts with BBC news footage detailing what was happening in Jerusalem at the time. It's the last Friday in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and the mosques are full of protests against the removal of Palestinians from their home in occupied East Jerusalem. The response from Israeli forces is to use stun grenades in the mosque. Everything escalates after Israelis demonstrate in a neighbourhood celebrating the country's national day the following Monday. Israel then begins the bombardment of Gaza on 10 May.

The families talk stoically to the camera about their lost loved ones. As they speak, there are photos and clips of videos that were taken when the child was alive. In this way, it's a film that feels like it could only happen in the modern era, when the ubiquity of smartphones means that nearly every life has been recorded in some way. What's also apparent is how many of the young family members are wearing football kits from European teams. These are children who seem to live such a secluded and difficult life, yet in many ways, they are part of the globalised world, and the filmmakers don't want us to forget about them.

The movie doesn't try to make comments or tell the history of the conflict in the Middle East. Instead, its primary focus is the fact that there will be children who lose their futures whenever there is war. There is no attempt to do anything spectacular with the storytelling style or to push a narrative, as the co-directors have decided that the testimonies of the families are sufficiently powerful to carry the film.

Winterbottom said in an interview with The Guardian, “It should be shocking when you see a child killed by a bomb.” It suggests that audiences have become desensitised to images of war, at least from this part of the world. However, the film is also very touching: whenever the families talk about their loved ones, it's almost like they momentarily bring them back from the dead.

Eleven Days in May is a UK-Palestinian co-production staged by Revolution Films and Alef Multimedia.