Wanted 18: Unity Is the Strongest Form of Resistance

Anibar is bringing Wanted 18, a feature documentary animation that reminds us of what people can achieve when they stand together, and how solidarity can become the most powerful form of resistance.

Directed by Palestinian filmmaker Amer Shomali and Paul Cowan, Wanted 18 reconstructs a true story of nonviolent resistance during the First Intifada. In the late 1980s, as part of a Palestinian boycott of Israeli taxes and products, the residents of Beit Sahour decided to stop buying milk from Israeli companies. In pursuit of greater self-sufficiency, they formed a collective, purchased 18 cows, and began producing their own milk and dairy products. But even this simple act of independence was seen as a threat. The Israeli authorities declared the cows “dangerous to the security of the State of Israel,” turning them into unlikely fugitives.

Blending interviews, archival footage, staged re-enactments, comic-book aesthetics, and stop-motion animation, Shomali and Cowan transform this true story into a playful yet socially engaged film. Although it premiered in 2014, Wanted 18 is becoming more relevant today. Alongside the testimonies of those who lived through these events, the film gives voice to three animated cows, anthropomorphizing them to reveal a comic and absurd perspective on the story.

Through humor and warmth, this story engages with a complex political reality, reviving a little-known chapter of history and highlighting the power of collective action, self-organization, and everyday acts of resistance.

July 15, 2026 | 21:00

Bazaar Cinema