It's A Boy!

It's A Boy! is a film by Victor S. Schonfeld who is a British documentary filmmaker best known for "The Animals Film" (a documentary on how people deal with animals).

In 1995, the British Channel 4 showed his documentary "It´s A Boy!" for which he interviewed Jewish and Muslim believers and experts, also filming the circumcision ritual in details. He was able to follow the process of the intervention which had dangerous consequences for a boy during the filming. The film sparked a heated debate in the UK at that time.

After the premiere of the film, it got broad recognition by the critics. Humanist News e.g. wrote about it:

"The documentary focuses on the unforgettable chronology of a religious circumcision with serious complications and contains impressive scenes concerning the injuries and suffering of Jewish, Muslim and African babies by the engagement. The film was selected Show of the Year by the British newspaper The Independent and is considered the most powerful and most authoritative documentation of boy circumcision."

In 2012, Schonfeld made a version with German subtitles of this now award-winning film available to the members of the German Bundestag so that they could get an idea of the ritual and its risks.

In the Süddeutsche Zeitung of Nov 30, 2012, he wrote a commentary: "This ritual contradicts my Jewish values."^[1]