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Synopsis
ADVOCATE follows Tsemel’s caseload in real-time, including the high-profile trial of a 13-year-old boy—her youngest client to date—while also revisiting her landmark cases and reflecting on the political and professional significance of her work as well as the personal price one pays for assuming the role of “devil’s advocate.” When they aren't busy chasing Tsemel through the courthouse halls, directing duo Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaiche assume the privileged position of a fly on the wall in Tsemel’s office, where a year of documenting is like gathering a lifetime of evidence. This evidence attests to the wrongs of occupation but also to the faults of those who try to resist it, the failings of those who try to defend them, and the fundamental flaws of a legal system that purports to serve justice but in fact serves the powers that be. Tsemel spoke truth to power before the term became trendy and she’ll continue to do so after fear makes it unfashionable. As such, she’s a model we’re hard-pressed to preserve in Israel/Palestine, and elsewhere. On the one hand, she’s the boy calling the Emperor naked, i.e. exposing the underbelly of Israeli security jurisprudence: the occupier is judging the occupied. On the other hand, she’s the boy with his finger in the dam, doing her utmost to uphold the rule-of-law before the flood of injustice drowns us all.
Metrics
| Opening Weekend: | $8,196 (48.4% of total gross) |
| Legs: | 2.07 (domestic box office/biggest weekend) |
| Domestic Share: | 100.0% (domestic box office/worldwide) |
| Theater counts: | 2 opening theaters/2 max. theaters, 3.5 weeks average run per theater |
| Infl. Adj. Dom. BO | $19,911 |
Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists
| Record | Rank | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 16,001-16,100) | 16,017 | $16,942 |
| All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 32,201-32,300) | 32,202 | $16,942 |
| All Time Domestic Highest Grossing Limited Release Movies (Rank 7,301-7,400) | 7,305 | $16,942 |
See the Box Office tab (Domestic) and International tab (International and Worldwide) for more Cumulative Box Office Records.
Watch Now On
| Amazon VOD: | Amazon |
| iTunes: | iTunes |
| Google Play: | Google Play |
| Vudu: | Vudu |
Movie Details
| Domestic Releases: | January 3rd, 2020 (Limited) by Film Movement |
| Video Release: | June 9th, 2020 by Film Movement Video |
| MPAA Rating: | Not Rated |
| Running Time: | 114 minutes |
| Comparisons: | vs. Chhapaak Create your own comparison chart… |
| Keywords: | Sundance Film Festival 2019 |
| Source: | Based on Real Life Events |
| Genre: | Documentary |
| Production Method: | Live Action |
| Creative Type: | Factual |
| Production/Financing Companies: | Home Made Docs, Filmoption Intl., Close Up Films, Channel 8, CBC Films, Radio-Canada Television, RTS , SWR, NDR, EOdocs, BBC Storyville, Blue Ice Docs, DR, YLE Finland, SVT, VGTV, Bertha Foundation, OFC, Cineforom, Loterie Romande Fond Culturel, Makor Foundation for Israeli Films, Sundance Documentary Film Program, CoPro , Hotdocs Dealmakers, IDFA Forum, IFP |
| Production Countries: | Canada, Israel, Switzerland |
| Languages: | Arabic, Bengali, Hebrew |