Get to know Other Israel
EThe 13th annual Other Israel Film Festival, presented by the Marlene Mayerson JCC, is being held this year between November 14 and November 21. The week-long festival presents high-quality cinema to inspire vibrant conversation and provide a unique look into Israeli and Palestinian societies and underrepresented populations in Israel. As a symposium of culture and identity, the Other Film Festival includes further engagement, deepened discussion, and challenging perspectives with discussion panels and cultural events in venues around New York City. Check out the full line up and tickets at otherisrael.org.
headline 1 | ADVOCATE
Dir. Philippe Bellaiche, Rachel Leah Jones 2019 Lea Tsemel is a Jewish-Israeli lawyer who has represented political prisoners for nearly 50 years. In her tireless quest for justice, she defends Palestinians—from feminists to fundamentalists and nonviolent demonstrators to armed militants.
Documentary. 108 min. Official Selection - Sundance Film Festival 2019
headline 1 | ASYLUM CITY
Dir. Eitan Zur 2018. North American Premiere A young social activist is found dead, and the main suspect is an asylum seeker who was seen leaving her apartment. The police officer who leads the murder investigation unravels a complex world of crime and corruption. Episodes 1+2 will be shown.
TV series. 45 min/episode.
headline 1 | BORDER OF PAIN
Dir. Ruth Walk 2018 Without adequate medical resources in the Palestinian territories, patients requiring advanced treatments face rigid bureaucratic walls. This film looks at the human consequences and heroes of the interdependent Israeli and Palestinian health and medical systems.
Documentary. 50 min.
headline 1 | BREAKING BREAD
Dir. Beth Hawk 2019. Dr. Nof Atamna-Ismaeel was the first Muslim Arab to win Israel’s MasterChef television competition. Now, through her new food festival, she’s on a quest to effect social change, chef by chef.
Documentary. 83 min.
headline 1 | CAUSE OF DEATH
Dir. Ramy A. Katz 2018. New York Premiere Ten years after Druze policeman Salim Barakat was killed while responding to a terror attack, his brother Jamal investigates the identity of Salim’s killer and whether the police are withholding information.
Documentary. 79 min. Official Selection - IDFA 2018
headline 1 | COMRADE DOV
Dir. Barak Heymann 2019 International Premiere Goddamned communist. Internal enemy. Privileged Tel Aviv Ashkenazi. Dov Khenin was called everything during his time in the Knesset. A portrait of a unique politician who refuses to give up, even as reality deals him one blow after another.
Documentary. 75 min.
headline 1 | A FISH TALE
Dir. Emmanuelle Mayer 2019 Johnny lives in Israel, but dreams of returning to Ghana with new knowledge of modern fish-farming. His wife, Thérèse, sees little future for their children in Africa. When their visas expire, tensions rise, leading to an inevitable clash. A special preview.
Documentary. 52 min.
headline 1 | MUNA
Creator. Mira Aawd 2018 In Summer 2014, Muna Abud, a Palestinian-Israeli photographer living in Tel Aviv, is on the verge of success. As the military operation in Gaza escalates, Muna is confronted with the complexity of her identity and relationships. TV Series. 30 min/episode
headline 1 | SAMARITAN
Dir. Julien Menanteau 2018 North American Premiere Samaritans, the world’s only holders of dual Israeli-Palestinian nationality, are a unique religious minority on the verge of extinction. In the heights of Nablus, Abdallah Cohen, the high priest’s grandson, seeks to find his own way.
Documentary. 52 min.
headline 1 | SCREWDRIVER
Dir. Bassam Jawbawi 2018 After years of imprisonment, Ziad struggles to adjust to modern Palestinian life. Unable to distinguish reality from hallucination, he unravels, and forces himself to go back to where it all began.
Narrative. 108 min.
headline 1 | THE TOWER
Dir. Mats Grorud 2018 Wardi, a young Palestinian girl, lives with her family in a Lebanese refugee camp. When her great-grandfather, who was chased from his home in the Galilea in 1948, gives her the key to his old house, she fears he has lost hope of returning home.
Narrative/Animation. 80 min.
headline 1 | ABE
Dir. Fernano Grostein Andrade 2018 Twelve-year-old Abe (Noah Schnapp, Stranger Things) is an aspiring chef, but his family—half-Israeli, half-Palestinian—always fights. When Abe ditches camp to spend time with chef Chico, his mentor’s fusion cuisine inspires him to unite his family through food.
Official Selection - Sundance Film Festival Narrative. 85 min.
headline 1 | SHORT FILMS
ARAB FRIDAY
Dir. Gal Rozenblut - 2019. 4 min.
BACKWARDS
Dir. Dana Gelman - 2018. 16 min.
THE DAY MY FATHER DIED
Dir. Nayef Hamoud - 2017. 15 min.
GIRL ON A BIKE
Dir. Therka Mekalda - 2019. 9 min.
OSLO
Dir. Shady Srour -2019. 15 min.