Oscar-nominated producer and director Mike Lerner was unable to set foot in Gaza to make harrowing doc “The Mission,” which vividly depicts the medical work of British trauma surgeon Dr. Mohammed Tahir during the Israel-Hamas war. Instead, Lerner relied on material shot with cellphones by two of Dr. Tahir’s medical colleagues in Gaza.
With roughly 270 journalists killed in Gaza and no access allowed by the Israeli military to western film crews, medical professionals became the sole witnesses of the carnage in the operating rooms, filming on phones secretly smuggled into the war zone.
“At this time, although we have this ceasefire, we still do not want to reveal their identities because we know how ruthless the Israelis are in targeting medics and targeting journalists,” Lerner tells Variety. “And these guys are medics and journalists.”
“The Mission,” which is playing at the the London Palestine Film Festival on Nov. 25 after premiering at the Amman International Film Festival in July, is directed by a group called the Gaza Collective and funded and produced by Lerner’s Roast Beef Productions.
Below, Lerner speaks to Variety about the challenges of making “The Mission” and getting it on to screens. Watch the trailer for the doc above.
How did the idea for “The Mission” originate?
My friend and longtime film collaborator Kareem Amer (“The Great Hack”) was in Cairo when Dr. Tahir left Gaza through Rafah after his second mission back in August. It just so happened that Kareem had a friend in common with Dr. Tahir, and wound up going to the Red Sea for a short break. Kareem met him there and said, “Do you want to make a film? And he said, “Yes.” Then the next day, he flew to London, and I met him. That’s how it all kicked off.
What were the next steps?
I describe this film as a bit of a miracle. We smuggled these iPhones into Gaza and two of his trusted medical assistants filmed him for four months. We we got the first batch of material back after about a month. Then Tahir came out [of Gaza], we filmed him coming out, and then sort of handed over this other drive of material. We were making this film with Tahir, we filmed with him a lot in London. Then we went to Amman with him on his way to Gaza. You know, the film is about what he was doing, who he is, and the challenges of doing it. Initially, we had thought it would be nice to have a few shots of him doing his [surgeon] stuff at the end of the film. But then [the Gaza material] turns out to be 80% of the film! That’s why it’s a miracle, because these people are, obviously, super brilliant at filming and they were with him 24/7.
At one point, we see random pieces of flesh being given to Palestinian relatives in body bags so they can mourn their dead. And Dr. Tahir says, “What world are we living in?” What do you consider some of the film’s most shocking aspects?
For me, obviously, the filming of children’s deaths is truly shocking, really harrowing. You know, we went through like 100 hours of material. And we made a very specific decision to show the minimum amount of this stuff. It’s not a gore fest, you know. But it was also important that we don’t shy away from the reality of it and also use this material to try and tell a story. It’s not just a relentless amount of operations. There are aspects and themes within this film that I hope people appreciate. Actually, the thing that moves me the most is the parents and their grief over the people they’ve lost. That’s even more shocking, in a way, than the actual deaths or injuries, which obviously are upsetting. But to see how people’s lives are just so devastated by this. The grief and suffering are unimaginable. And of course, that is why we wanted to make this film.
We see some positive outcomes, too. It seems like you also sought to make an inspiring piece, am I right?
Yes, to get back to the people working there. Their compassion; I think that’s the overriding thing. It’s so reaffirming of our humanity. I think we have heard a lot about surgeons working there. And of course, much of what we hear is just shocking and terrible. But I don’t think we hear enough about the fact that they do manage to save some lives. And if they save one life, that is an act of resistance to what the Israelis are trying to do more than anything else. So if they save a life, and if they save a limb, and if they save someone’s mobility and their future, then that is a massive victory for the Palestinian people and for humanity as well.
How is “The Mission” going to be rolled out through Journeyman Pictures?
We’re just beginning to find out if this film will break through. I mean, I hope that distributors and cinemas and broadcasters will find the courage to show it because there isn’t another one like it. I mean, there are some films coming out of Gaza, but there is nothing like this. And there can’t be another film like this. It’s truly unique and historically important.
After the [London] festival, we’re going to have a big outreach campaign and very much encourage community screenings of the film in hospitals, universities, etc., because there is a massive audience for this movie in this country [the U.K.] and also around the world. Whether or not mainstream cinemas will book it, we’ll see. I mean, they are driven by ticket sales, and if they feel the film will do well, then they will. I guess there may be some places that will be resistant to it for political reasons, but let’s see. More than anything, we really want to get it out among the activist pro-Palestinian community. Because we do actually see the film as an act of resistance.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Courtesy Roast Beef Productions