Director Firas Khoury’s coming-of-age story follows Tamer (Mahmood Bakri), a Palestinian teenager living in Israel, and his friends as he comes to grips with his fraught heritage.
The arrival of an outspoken classmate, Maysaa (Sereen Khass), catalyses Tamer’s political awakening, as he agrees to take part in a mysterious flag operation on the eve of Israel’s Independence Day which is a mourning day for Palestinians.
Through his film, Khoury attempts to bring to light the circumstances under which Palestinian youth are forced to develop, and the sharp existential contradictions they are subjected to at a young age.
The film premiered at Toronto International Film Festival and received the Golden Pyramid at the Cairo International Film Festival.
“In this film I wish to give prominence to the Palestinian youth, who have willingly and, despite all, chosen to turn their peaceful struggle against injustice into their primary vocation. High school students with courageous souls have become a great source of inspiration to me, since I began following and observing them in recent years. My aim in this film is to expose their struggle to define and reinvent themselves, as well as to bring forth their personal story.” – Firas Khoury, Director
Doors: 15:30. Screening: 16:00.