As one of the few Israeli human-rights lawyers willing to defend Palestinians, Lea Tsemel has been defying hostility and vitriol from the public and press for nearly 50 years. Rachel Leah Jones’s riveting Hot Docs ’19 documentary follows the outspoken and tenacious 74-year old Tsemel as she navigates difficult cases—including that of a 13-year-old boy involved in a stabbing incident; and a woman behind an apparent suicide bombing attempt—within a court system stacked squarely against her clients. Judiciously cutting between present-day trials and eye-opening archives of key past cases, The Advocate is a compelling portrait a woman has never betrayed her principles in her quest for justice.

In Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles

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Films Changing the World: Must-see docs revealing staggering new perspectives and stories.