Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Play trailer

Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Now Playing

3h 26m

Documentary

War

History

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Working from an abundance of footage catalogued in the vaults of Sweden's national television service SVT, archival film maestro Göran Hugo Olsson (The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975, Concerning Violence) deftly assembles accounts of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as witnessed and represented by Swedish journalists during the Cold War era. Footage of the rise of the Israeli state is interwoven with the Palestinian struggle for independence. News coverage with Yasser Arafat and interviews with Israeli foreign minister Abba Eban during a visit to Sweden have not been shown since the first broadcast. From the tenth anniversary of Israel's founding to the First Intifada, perspectives and encounters with statesmen, civilians, revolutionaries, and intellectuals tell the story from myriad angles of an evolving media landscape, revivifying a history of one of the world's longest conflicts.

Now in Theaters

Now Playing

Buy Tickets

Ben Kenigsberg

New York Times

Its subject is not only the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but also how the news was mediated for Swedish viewers by a dominant broadcaster with a mandate for impartiality.

Oct 9, 2025

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Screen International

The film is an endurance test that earns its running time with the exceptionally high quality of the reporting and the sober eye that it casts over the region.

Oct 30, 2024

Full Review

Siddhant Adlakha

Truthdig

Olsson has produced one of the most complete cinematic documents about a political conflict in recent memory.

Oct 16, 2025

Full Review

Stephen Silver

The SS Ben Hecht

I doubt anyone will be watching this as their first exposure to the conflict, but I could see worse ways for people to first familiarize themselves.

Oct 16, 2025

Full Review

Erik Reeds

Spectrum Culture

Films rarely change the world on this scale, yet they can often be empathy machines, and this is one of the most powerful ones of the year.

Oct 16, 2025

Full Review

Matt Mahler

PopMatters

Despite its flaws, Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989 is a meticulously detailed study of conflict and hauntingly foreshadows the current moment.

Rated: 8/10

Oct 15, 2025

Full Review

Read all reviews

Anthony L

I thought this documentary was really good. The director blended the reports from Swedish tv excellently. It makes the long runtime go by a lot easier. The reports they show feel more important now than ever

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/19/25

Full Review

Stephen C

Real footage in 3 hours and 26 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/10/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Göran Hugo Olsson

Director

Kristofer Lundström

Host

Pernilla August

Narrator

Göran Hugo Olsson

Screenwriter

Tobias Janson

Producer

Melissa Lindgren

Executive Producer

Neither Confirm nor Deny

100%

%

Neither Confirm nor Deny

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Neither Confirm nor Deny

UnBroken

%

100%

UnBroken

Watchlist

TRAILER

for UnBroken

They Shall Not Grow Old

99%

91%

They Shall Not Grow Old

Watchlist

TRAILER

for They Shall Not Grow Old

TORN: The Israel-Palestine Poster War on NYC Streets

%

%

TORN: The Israel-Palestine Poster War on NYC Streets

Watchlist

TRAILER

for TORN: The Israel-Palestine Poster War on NYC Streets

Rule of Two Walls

100%

%

Rule of Two Walls

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Rule of Two Walls

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Working from an abundance of footage catalogued in the vaults of Sweden's national television service SVT, archival film maestro Göran Hugo Olsson (The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975, Concerning Violence) deftly assembles accounts of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as witnessed and represented by Swedish journalists during the Cold War era. Footage of the rise of the Israeli state is interwoven with the Palestinian struggle for independence. News coverage with Yasser Arafat and interviews with Israeli foreign minister Abba Eban during a visit to Sweden have not been shown since the first broadcast. From the tenth anniversary of Israel's founding to the First Intifada, perspectives and encounters with statesmen, civilians, revolutionaries, and intellectuals tell the story from myriad angles of an evolving media landscape, revivifying a history of one of the world's longest conflicts.

Director: Göran Hugo Olsson
Producer: Tobias Janson
Screenwriter: Göran Hugo Olsson
Distributor: Icarus Films
Production Co: Sveriges Television, Film i Väst, Tekele Productions, Ström Pictures, Story
Genre: Documentary, War, History
Original Language: Swedish
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 10, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 3h 26m