95 min
Najwa Najjar
Fiction
2009 - Palestine
Toronto Premiere
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Featuring: Ashraf Farah, Ali Suliman, Hiam Abbass and many more
Najwa Najjar’s feature length debut is set in present day Ramallah. Wedded bliss ends abruptly for dancer Kamar when her husband Zaid is taken prisoner for resisting the confiscation of his family’s land. Defying society’s taboos, Kamar returns to her dance where she is confronted with Kais, a Palestinian returnee from Lebanon and the new dance instructor who takes a special interest in Kamar. Life for Kamar becomes increasingly complicated as Zaid’s sentence is extended and the legal case against the land confiscation faces numerous obstacles placing the annual harvest and the family’s livelihood in danger. This beautiful film captures Kamar’s intensely personal turmoil as she becomes increasingly attached to Kais, and is torn between her desire to dance and society’s expectations of a prisoner’s wife.
Awards: Youssef Chahine grand prix de cinema at Festival International de Cinéma d'Auteur de Rabat; Audience Award Best Arab Film Doha Tribeca Film Festival; Prize Television de Calicia Amal Film Festival Spain; Script Winner Screenplay Development Fund Amiens, France; Cinema in Motion San Sebastian Film Festival;.
Screened with Missing