Jewish Filmmaker Influences German Debate on Forced Religious Circumcision of Boys

[Beyond the Frame Ltd. - 23.11.2012] The documentary IT'S A BOY! (length 41 minutes) was filmed for British Television Channel 4. Considered the most influential and authoritative investigation of religious circumcision, the film is now available for the first time to the German public and can be downloaded with German subtitles from http://www.realeyz.tv/de/its-a-boy.html or be streamed. Later, the film will also be shown on Austrian television ORF. Yesterday, in view of fateful decisions under consideration by the Bundestag, a copy of the film was made available to each Member of the German Parliament.

The film centres on an unforgettable step-by-step story of a ritual circumcision that goes seriously wrong, and it includes stunning sequences about the injuries and distress suffered by Jewish, Moslem and African babies plus other unique material.

With the ongoing debate about circumcision, the timing is ideal for the first German release of this cogent and disturbing expose of the hidden toll of male circumcision. 

This deeply affecting work by award-winning Jewish filmmaker Victor Schonfeld was way ahead of its time and is evergreen - tragically so. It is unsurpassed as a vehicle for informing German public policy. It earned widespread critical acclaim and was named Programme of the Year by Britain's Independent on Sunday.

"Schonfeld got a one-in-a-million stroke of luck; and, like all cunning filmmakers, he made the most of it."  -The Independent (UK)
       
"A devastating indictment...A television first." -The Times (UK)

"Deserves an award....A brave documentary which ought to be a catalyst for change."  -The Irish Independent

"It should be seen by everyone...This programme has a point to make which requires debate.”Â  - Linda Grant, Orange Award novelist, in The Jewish Chronicle (UK)

"It is a moving, in part even disturbing film, a rich source of important information on circumcision, a piece of enlightenment in the true sense of the word - elucidating its subject, educating its viewers, leaving a lasting impression on the memory of everyone inclined to empathy with, and protection for, a helpless baby. For our members of parliament, it should be a noble obligation to view it before they legislate on a general permission for non-medical circumcisions of young boys.”

Professor Dr. Reinhard Merkel - 18 November 2012
Member, German Ethical Council
Faculty of Law, University of Hamburg

"Victor Schonfeld's documentary It's a Boy! broke the long silence around circumcision. It enabled us to question a tradition that had always been presented as non-negotiable and to argue that people have a right and a duty to know the facts so they can take responsible decisions for their newborn children. The film was not only courageous but also ahead of its time. In challenging the right of religious authorities to dictate to parents what was best for their children, It's a Boy! opened up space for a continuing discussion of the complex question of how we respond when religious and cultural traditions conflict with the duty of individuals and the state to protect human rights.”

Julia Bard
Co-Editor, Jewish Socialist

The film It's a Boy! is available to the general public in Germany at the Video-on -Demand website of Realeyz.tv

In English with German Subtitles http://www.realeyz.tv/de/its-a-boy.html

Globally in the original English
http://www.realeyz.tv/en/its-a-boy.html (English speaking countries)
http://www.realeyz.tv/fr/its-a-boy.html (French speaking countries)
http://www.realeyz.tv/es/its-a-boy.html (Spanish speaking countries)