Michael Winterbottom

British director Michael Winterbottom has made compelling fiction and nonfiction films since 1988, beginning his career with a documentary on iconic Swedish director Ingmar Bergman. He later tackled politically charged issues with Welcome to Sarajevo (1997) and The Road to Guantanamo (2006), both inspired by tragic events. In his latest film, Shoshana, Winterbottom dramatizes a suspenseful, true story inspired by a book he read preparing to attend a 2008 film festival in Jerusalem. He found himself captivated learning about the British Mandate in Tel Aviv between WWI and WWII.

As history repeats itself in Gaza, filmmaker Michael Winterbottom brings audiences Shoshana, based on the true love story of Shoshana Borochov, a Jewish woman, and Thomas Wilkin, a British police officer, set against the backdrop of the British Mandate in Palestine during the 1930s. The two must navigate a relationship amid growing political unrest and British colonial presence. Shoshana is more a historical thriller than an epic love story. It is a harsh reminder about the dangers of pride, our moral flexibility during times of war, and the hope that love can prevail.