In this appealing, naturalistic drama, a middle-class Arab teen living in a village in the Galilee undergoes a political awakening catalyzed by a pretty, outspoken girl from his high school class catalyzes his political awakening.
Like the protagonist, the audience, too, receives a provocative civics lesson on the symbolism–and power–of flags and what constitutes resistance. An intelligent, sensitive treatment of the rarely-seen, everyday lives of young Palestinian citizens of Israel, the story unfolds through the eyes of watchful, artistically-inclined Tamer (well-played by newcomer Mahmood Bakri), a high-school senior nearing his matriculation exams. Although he lives in an Arab village, Tamer’s identity is fraught with contradiction and repression. For an example, look no further than his school. Like all educational institutions in Israel, he teaches the Israeli curriculum, a course of study that celebrates the nation’s Independence Day without acknowledging its dark, opposite side, the displacement of the Arab population that the Palestinians call the Nakba. Winner, Best Film, Best Actor, Audience Award, Cairo Film Festival. –Alissa Simon
Director Biography
Firas Khoury is Palestinian filmmaker who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema from Tel Aviv University and the founder of Falastinema Group, whose goal is to bring cinema throughout Palestine. His many short films have been screened at film festivals around the world. Alam (2022) is his debut feature.
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