The Feeling of Being Watched

The Feeling of Being Watched is a 2018 documentary film directed and produced by Assia Boundaoui in her directorial debut.[1] The film stars Assia Boundaoui with Rabia Boundaoui, Iman Boundaoui, Nouha Boundaoui, Sohib Boundaoui, and Christina Abraham. The plot follows Boundaoui as she investigates rumors that her Arab-American neighborhood outside Chicago is being monitored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The Feeling of Being Watched
Theatrical release poster
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAssia Boundaoui
Written byAssia Boundaoui
Produced by
  • Jessica Devaney
  • Assia Boundaoui
  • Alex Bushe
StarringAssia Boundaoui
CinematographyShuling Yong
Edited byRabab Haj Yahya
Music byAngélica Negrón
Production
companies
Distributed byWomen Make Movies
Release dates
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States

It had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 21, 2018. It was released on June 21, 2019, by Women Make Movies. The Feeling of Being Watched won Best Documentary at the BlackStar Film Festival and the Camden International Film Festival. It was nominated for the Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival, and Best Documentary at CAAMFest.

Synopsis

Assia Boundaoui grew up in the Arab-American neighborhood of Bridgeview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago which counts among its residents about 200 Muslim families.[2] Her neighbors believe they have been under surveillance for a decade or more. When she explores her neighbors' experiences, Assia discovers thousands of pages of FBI documents which prove that the neighborhood was the subject of counter-terrorism investigation before the September 11 attacks. Code-named "Operation Vulgar Betrayal", the surveillance operation amassed more than 30,000 documents on Muslim residents and neighborhood organizations, though no arrests or links to terrorist activity were ever made.[3][4]

Cast

Credits adapted from Rotten Tomatoes:[5]

  • Assia Boundaoui as herself
  • Rabia Boundaoui as Assia's mother
  • Iman Boundaoui as Assia's sister
  • Nouha Boundaoui as Assia's sister
  • Sohib Boundaoui as Assia's brother
  • Christina Abraham as Assia's lawyer

Production

On 23 September 2019, director Assia Boundaoui and producer Alex Bushe launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a documentary film.[6] The campaign raised $33,057 out of a $30,000 goal, with 187 backers.[6] After they raised $33,057 the duo wrote on Kickstarter,[7]

We'll be able to shoot the rest of the film, and stay on-track to finish the film late next year. We couldn't have done it without each and every one of you, and are humbled to have experienced the growth of such a wonderfully supportive community around our film. You guys are the best!

— Assia Boundaoui and Alex Bushe, Kickstarter

Boundaoui returned to Bridgeview as a qualified journalist to interview family and neighbors about what they remembered about the surveillance. In the 1990s, this included low-flying helicopters passing frequently overhead, cameras mounted on buildings, and vans parked outside houses.[8] Boundaoui then documents her appeals to the Department of Justice to uncover the truth of government spying. The film shows the support she received from family and neighbors; one family friend is seen chiding her affectionately, "You troublemaker, you!"[9]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 93% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10.[5] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 79 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".[10]

Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "The chilling effect of a life under surveillance is at the heart of the film. As it pieces together the timeline of events in the director's Chicago suburb and beyond, The Feeling of Being Watched takes shape as an incisive inquiry".[2] Guy Lodge writing for Variety wrote: "Shot and cut to match its maker's no-nonsense drive, this tense, frightening film culminates in a more hopeful call to activist arms, finding as much security in ethnic and religious communities as others do suspicion".[9]

Nathanael Hood writing for The Young Folks criticized the film for not living up to its potential; he commended the first third of the film as it "magnificently captures the feeling of nervous menace felt by the people of Bridgeview", but Boundaoui's requests for documents from the Department of Justice do not convey a "cohesive sense of urgency". However he praised The Feeling of Being Watched for "seeking justice for a persecuted minority".[4]

Accolades
Year Award Category Result Ref(s).
2018 BlackStar Film Festival Best Documentary Won [11]
Camden International Film Festival Audience Award Won [12]
John Marshall Award Nominated
Best Documentary Feature Won
Chicago International Film Festival Best Documentary Nominated [13]
Milwaukee Film Festival Documentary Jury Award – Special Mention Won [14]
Woodstock Film Festival Best Editing – Documentary Feature Won [15]
James Lyons Award Won
Jury Prize Won
Maverick Award Won
2019 CAAMFest Jury Award – Best Documentary Nominated [16]
Glasgow Film Festival Audience Award Nominated [17]

References
  1. Wissot, Lauren. "'Do Not Be Daunted by the Magnitude of the Challenge in Front of You': Assia Boundaoui on Her Surveillance Doc, The Feeling of Being Watched". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  2. "'The Feeling of Being Watched': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  3. "THE FEELING OF BEING WATCHED". Impact Partners Film. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  4. "Tribeca 2018 Movie Review: The Feeling of Being Watched". The Young Folks. 22 April 2018. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  5. "The Feeling of Being Watched (2018)", Rotten Tomatoes, Fandango, archived from the original on 14 November 2019, retrieved 30 October 2021
  6. "The Feeling of Being Watched: a documentary film". Kickstarter. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  7. "Update 5: Thank you for a terrific campaign! · The Feeling of Being Watched: a documentary film". Kickstarter. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  8. Khalil, Sarah (20 August 2019). "The feeling of being watched: The FBI's chilling surveillance of one quiet Arab neighbourhood". The New Arab. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  9. Lodge, Guy (8 May 2018). "Hot Docs Film Review: 'The Feeling of Being Watched'". Variety. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  10. The Feeling of Being Watched, archived from the original on 14 November 2019, retrieved 14 November 2019
  11. "BlackStar Film Festival Announces 2018 Award Winners". Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  12. "CIFF '18: "On Her Shoulders", "The Feeling of Being Watched" take top prizes". Archived from the original on 14 September 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  13. "Chicago International Film Festival (2018)". IMDb. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  14. "Announcing Our Mff2018 Jury Award Winners". MKEfilm. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  15. "2018 Maverick Awards". Woodstock Film Festival. Archived from the original on 13 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  16. "CAAMFest (2019)". IMDb. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  17. Theatre, Glasgow Film (14 November 2019). "Full programme announced for Glasgow Film…". Glasgow Film Theatre. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
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