Israeli Palestinian Film Festival

Synopses

Waltz with Bashir - May 4 - 7:30pm

Director: Ari Folman

One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari Folman about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that there’s a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early eighties. Ari is surprised that he can’t remember a thing anymore about that period of his life.

Intrigued by this riddle, he decides to meet and interview old friends and comrades around the world. He needs to discover the truth about that time and about himself. As Ari delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, his memory begins to creep up in surreal images …

Presented in conjunction with UCSB Arts & Lectures. Admission is $6, $5 for UCSB students.

2008 - 90 minutes - More Information

Salt of This Sea - May 7 - 8:00pm

Director: Annemarie Jacir

Soraya (played by Suheir Hammad) , born in Brooklyn in a working class community of Palestinian refugees, discovers that her grandfather’s savings were frozen in a bank account in Jaffa when he was exiled in 1948. Stubborn, passionate and determined to reclaim what is hers, she fulfills her life-long dream of “returning” to Palestine. Slowly she is taken apart by the reality around her and is forced to confront her own internal anger. She meets Emad (Saleh Bakri), a young Palestinian whose ambition, contrary to hers, is to leave forever. Tired of the constraints that dictate their lives, they know in order to be free, they must take things into their own hands, even if it’s illegal.

2008 - 109 minutes - More Information

Galilee Eskimos - May 8 - 4:00pm

Director: Jonathan Paz

An old kibbutz tucked in the Hills of Galilee plunges into bankruptcy. Men, women and children abandon their homes, leaving behind a desolate scene except for a dozen residents of an old-folk’s home on the property who discover they have been deserted and are left to fend for themselves. The largest creditor, a bank, closes a deal with a contractor who arrives at the kibbutz and is astonished to discover that the senior citizens were left behind. The group initially sinks into deep depression, feeling betrayed by their relatives and society, but organizes in hopes of rebuilding the kibbutz.

2007 - 99 minutes

Jericho's Echo: Punk Rock in the Holy Land - May 9 - 9:00pm

Director: Liz Nord

Rebellious Israeli youth take up the arms of punk rock, loud guitars and mowhawks in the most politically charged area of the world. Looking at the present situation in Israel through the eyes of punk rockers is an uncommon vantage point, but the voices of these diverse young people illuminate the thoughts of a generation of disillusioned Israelis who yearn for an end to the bleak politics of war, so that they might live out their dreams.

2005 - 75 minutes - More Information

Sons of Sakhnin United - May 10 - 5:00pm

Directors: Alexander H. Browne & Christopher Browne

Jews and Arabs strive for a common goal, literally, in this rousing documentary about a multiethnic soccer team and their quixotic quest for Israel's State Soccer Cup. A ramshackle Arab town in Northern Israel, Sakhnin is impoverished and without a stadium. Still, residents are passionate about their soccer, an important distraction from the difficult realities of daily life in the Galilee. Comprised of Arab and Jewish players, B'nei Sakhnin faces the hostility of right-wing fans, competes against better-funded teams, and is forced to practice on a dirt field. Against these odds, the underdog team advances to the championship finals for the first time, creating a transcending symbol of hope and reconciliation in the blood-soaked Middle East. The film's nail-biting climax will leave audiences on the edge of their seats.

2007 - 84 minutes

Strangers - May 10 - 7:00pm

Directors: Erez Tadmor & Guy Netiv

Described as the story of a globe-trotting, Israeli Romeo who meets a Palestinian Juliet, Strangers puts love to the test in time of war. Eyal, an Israeli kibbutznik, and Rana, an expat Palestinian living in Paris, visit Berlin for the 2006 World Cup finals where they’re forced to share an apartment after accidentally swapping backpacks. Over three intensive days their friendship turns to love as they’re drawn out of the stark reality of their lives and into a passionate affair as the second Israel-Lebanon war plays out. When it’s time to go home, they must decide where to go to from there. The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize (World Cinema – Dramatic) at the Sundance Film Festival, won the Wolgin Award for Most Promising Actress at the Jerusalem Film Festival and was nominated for Best Actor at the Israeli Film Academy.

2007 - 85 minutes

The Secrets - May 11 - 8:00pm

Director: Avi Nesher

The Secrets> presents the complexities of a religious lifestyle within the context of youth, rebellion and desire. Naomi postpones marriage to the prodigy of her ultra orthodox rabbi father to study at a Jewish seminary for women in the ancient Kabalistic seat of Safed following her mother’s death. Her quest for individuality takes a defiant turn when she befriends Michelle, a free-spirited but headstrong fellow student. Their unlikely alliance is jeopardized by a mysterious older woman named Anouk, a terminally ill tortured soul shunned by the community for her crime of passion. Together, they attempt to purge her sins through a series of secret rituals. The film was nominated for eight Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, including Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Art Direction, Best Costumes, Best Editing, Best Music and Best Sound.

This event is supported by an anonymous member of the Jewish Funders Network.

2007 - 120 minutes

Etz Limon/Lemon Tree - May 12 - 8:00pm

Director: Eran Riklis

Salma, a Palestinian widow, has to stand up against her new neighbor, the Israeli Defense Minister, when he moves into his new house opposite her lemon grove, on the green line border between Israel and the West Bank. The Israeli security forces are quick to declare that Salma‘s trees pose a threat to the Minister’s safety and issue orders to uproot them. Together with Ziad Daud, her young Palestinian lawyer, Salma goes all the way to the Israeli Supreme Court to try and save her trees. Her struggle raises the interest of Mira Navon, the Defense minister’s wife, who is trapped in her new home and in an unhappy life. Despite their differences and the borders between them the two women develop an invisible bond, while forbidden ties grow stronger between Salma and Ziad. Salma’s legal and personal journey lead her deep into the complex, dark and sometimes funny chaos of the ongoing struggle in the Middle East, in which all players find themselves alone in their struggle to survive.

This event is supported by an anonymous member of the Jewish Funders Network.

2008 - 106 minutes

Jellyfish - May 13 - 8:00pm

Directors: Shira Geffen & Etgar Keret

Poignant, often witty and exceedingly cinematic, Jellyfish (Meduzot), tells the story of three very different Tel Aviv women whose intersecting stories weave an unlikely portrait of modern Israeli life. Batya, a catering waitress, takes in a child apparently abandoned at a local beach. Batya is one of the servers at the wedding reception of Keren, a bride who breaks her leg escaping a locked toilet stall, ruining her chance at a dream Caribbean honeymoon. And attending the event with an employer is Joy, a non Hebrew-speaking domestic worker who has guiltily left her son behind in her native Philippines.

As this distaff trio separately wends their way through Israel’s most cosmopolitan city, they struggle with issues of communication, affection and destiny—but at times find uneasy refuge in its tranquil seas.

This event is supported by an anonymous member of the Jewish Funders Network.

2007 - 78 minutes - More Information

Driving to Zigzigland - May 14 - 8:00pm

Director: Nicole Ballivian

A chronicle of a day in the life of a Palestinian cab driver in Los Angeles, Driving to Zigzigland, portrays the social struggle of the Arab immigrant in post-9/11 America. A film audition typecasts Bashar to play an Al Qaeda terrorist role. The utilities are due and Bashar has twenty-four hours to make the money. For the remaining hours left until tomorrow, an unceasing flow of passengers ride in Bashar's taxi and give the Arab cabbie the run-around on issues that deal with suicide bombers, George Bush, Cat Stevens, the war in Iraq, music, and world geography. Bashar's quest to make the money is won until he realizes he has to choose between the Department of Homeland Security and his family. Shot in Los Angeles and Palestine, based on true stories.

2006 - 92 minutes - More Information