At Tel-Aviv’s oldest beauty academy, a group of students come from seven different countries, yet somehow fi nd a common language. The eight characters pulled into focus by the filmmakers, share common ordeals, and bring unique and varied life stories to their new environment.
Archives
Precious Life
Four-month-old Palestinian Mohammad will die without a bone marrow transplant, a procedure that can only be done in an Israeli hospital. Israeli journalist Shlomi Eldar documents complex and emotional story, as Israeli and Palestinians put aside their differences to save Mohammad’s life.
The Gatekeepers
Since 1967 Israel has tried to transform its incredible military victory into a bridge to peace. It failed. Forty years and two peace treaties later an atmosphere of fear and mistrust still permeates the region. In this film, the five former heads of Israel’s Secret Service exclusively reflect on their successes and failures to maintain security, even while violence flares up again, this time in the Gaza Strip. These five men individually and as a group have come to reconsider their hard-line positions and advocate a conciliatory approach toward their enemies based on a two-state solution.
Dancing in Jaffa
Dancing in Jaffa follows the journey of internationally renowned ballroom dancer Pierre Dulaine as he returns to his birthplace, Jaffa, to fulfill his lifelong dream of teaching Jewish and Palestinian Israeli children to dance together. For generations, Jaffa has been a city divided with the two communities living side-by-side but growing increasingly apart. The film explores the stories of four children forced to confront issues of identity, segregation and racism, as they dance with their enemies. We watch Pierre transform hundreds of lives over the course of four months with the belief that this will forever change the future and bridge the gap between the Jewish and Palestinian people.
Life Sentences
An Arab man marries a Jewish woman. They live in quiet harmony within the Arab-Jewish community with their son and daughter. After it is discovered that the father is behind dozens of myserious terror attacks in the late 1960s, the mother flees the country with her kids to the other side of the world and settles in Montreal’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. When they grow up, the two will take opposite paths.
A Bottle in the Gaza Sea
Tal is 17 years old. Naim is 20. She’s Israeli and he’s Palestinian. She lives in Jerusalem and he lives in Gaza. They both live their lives until one day a bottle is thrown in the sea.
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What About Me?
A man and his donkey are separated at a checkpoint; the man doesn’t have the right to pass through. Funnily enough, the donkey does.
Inheritance
Under The Same Sun
The film is set in the near future, and it looks back at the story of two businessmen – one Palestinian and one Israeli – who struggle to set up a solar energy company. Both come from societies where there is strong opposition to cooperating with the other, and the film tells how they overcome hostility from within their own families and from the people around them. In the end, they mount a Facebook campaign that impacts both their joint venture and ultimately changes the political map.
The Lesson
After 200 driving lessons and numerous failed tests, Egyptian born Layla is about to give up on her dream to drive. An encounter with Nimer, a Palestinian driving expert, rekindles her hopes. Gradually, the car turns into a “confessional,” and Layla shares her secret life story.
