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Almost Friends

Directed by: Nitzan Ofrir, Barak Heymann
76 Minutes, 2014, Documentary; Other Israel Film Festival

Two girls meet online. Samar, 12, has an Arab Israeli mother and a Palestinian father from the Occupied Territories. She lives in Lod, a mixed city marred by poverty and crime. Linor, 11, was born in Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip but now lives in Tlamim, a religious settlement in the Lachish region. Only 67 km separate Lod and Tlamim, but the girls are also separated by a vast national, cultural and ideological abyss. As participants in a program combining education and technology, their relationship starts from online correspondence. Meeting face-to-face adds an exciting, tense and often surprising component to the two girls’ lives, sweeping them and their families into a profound and complex experience.