
Hanna K. is a 1983 drama film directed by Costa-Gavras, starring Jill Clayburgh and Gabriel Byrne.
The film was an attempt to depict the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in human terms.
Hanna Kaufman is a Jewish-American, who moved to Israel and now works as a defense lawyer there.
Her troubles start when she's court-appointed to defend Palestinian Salim Bakri, who's been arrested and charged by the military tribunal with belonging to a terrorist network.
Bakri claims that he's an innocent victim of prosecution by the Israeli state, because he wants his family's property back. Hanna investigates his claims and realizes that he may not be lying.
The prosecutor proposes a way to both get rid of Bakri and not give in to his demands.
Hanna must decide whether to give in and possibly save her client's life or fight for what she, as the child of Holocaust survivors, believes to be right.
This case takes a tall on her personal life as well.
Pro-Israeli groups were concerned about the film's sympathetic depiction of the Palestinian issue.
An internal memorandum was circulated by B'nai B'rith advising members about arguments which can be made against the film.
Hanna K. opened in several American cities and played for a short time to negative reviews, and then was abruptly pulled from circulation by Universal Pictures the American distributor of the film.
Costa Gavras personally advertised the film in The New York Times at a cost of $50,000. Universal forbade him to use ads prepared for the film.
Vincent Canby of The New York Times called it a "large, soggy dud" with ill-drawn characters and "dopey dialogue."
Edward Said said in a Village Voice review that "as a political as well as cinematic intervention, then Hanna K. is a statement of a great and, I believe, lasting significance.