“Everywhere who grew up there has fond memories of the entire region,” says a man, one of the faceless interviewees in The Black Box is Orange. He and his interviewer, director Yuula Benivolski, both grew up in a town that Palestinians called al-Bassa.
Palestinians, of course, no longer live in that large town of al-Bassa. And replacing them are people like Benivolski and that faceless interviewee, and unlike his memories, hers isn’t so fond. The Black Box is Orange is an examination of her memories, like the first time she hears about the Nakba.
The Black Box is Orange has scenes that seem like they originally don’t belong to the theme of Palestinian erasure. It shows viewers video of two Hasidim in while playing audio of Bush-era Apartheid propaganda. During one scene, there’s a black screen and her recounting memories of no longer wanting to go into bomb shelters, and why.
Photos in The Black Box is Orange show what was once in the rest of Palestine and the erasure of previous infrastructure and people, an expectedly haunting experience for viewers. Benivolski’s juxtapositions prove the kind of methods that the colonizers did to ensure that erasure.
There’s a sense of stewardship in The Black Box is Orange, a respect for the images that it shows, respect for the images of buildings that she puts up in natural light. Every image is one she shares with her viewers, rescuing them from the darkness of the Apartheid Archive.
- Rated: Unrated
- Genre: Avant-Garde, Documentary, Experimental
- Release Date: 9/13/2026
- Directed by: Yuula Benivolski
