People are always asking me, “What films should I see at the festival?” I, of course, am always insulted and think to myself “why don’t you see all of them?” Even I realize that this is unreasonable. Below is an attempt to guide the perplexed.

Just a little prep work. There are those of us pretty immersed in Israeli culture and are hungry for what we cannot get here. Israeli TV can be pretty terrific and so the four series we are screening are such high quality that even if you don’t fall into this category you will love them all.

Adama - doesn’t strictly fall into our "Palestinians" category because it is not about Palestinian Israelis but rather about Moroccans who came to Israel in the 50’s and were treated as if they were “Arab Jews”. This is the modern story of one such family and the paterfamilias is none other than Mohammad Bakri. When you see Mohammad in this role you will not think Arab you will not think Palestinian you will think only “Father.” It took a great deal of courage on the part of Rani Bleier the director to cast Mohammad in this role. He faced much opposition but in one scene where Mohammad says the Kaddish in Hebrew there was not a dry eye on the set when he uttered the words. Don’t miss.

Parashat Hashavua- (Weekly Portion) is a story of several Israeli young professional families all living not far from Tel Aviv including a Palestinian Israeli couple (living in Haifa). She is a doctor at Rambam and he is a doctoral student- their problems are a mixture of being from a mixed culture and the cultureless problems we all have. The other families too have day to day drama and portray Israel as it really is. The drama is outstanding and the acting transcends what you could possibly hope for (the amazing Menashe Noy is my personal favorite). Don’t miss

Arab Labor- this is the fourth time we have screened Sayed Kashua’s series about an Arab journalist working for a daily that looks suspiciously like Haaretz. This series has been a runaway hit in Israel at least among the Jews - the Arabs are divided. The second season is even better than the first, with more sophisticated plot lines and writing as our lead family moves into a Jewish neighborhood. Sayed will be joining along with Klara Khuri and producer Dani Paran.

ID blues by Hayim Yavin- This is the last part in the series by the noted Mr. Television who interviews Palestinian Israelis and Jewish Israelis to peer into their lives living in a state that proclaims that it is both Jewish and democratic. Can Israel be both? See for yourself and stay for the explosive discussion that is bound to follow with Historian Benny Morris.

I am keeping in mind people who may not be political but just want to see good interesting films if they are about Palestinian Arabs that is just context.

Coffee - between reality and imagination. a series of short films all having to do with coffee.This series of films which will be preceded by a coffee talk from my husband Saul Zabar who is one of the great coffee mavens in this world. The films are simply divine. Run don’t walk to see this series

I am not Phillipina - this year we decided to enlarge our picture of Others in Israel and this film is a heartbreaking story about a little charismatic girl, almost blind, born to a Phillipina caretaker living in Israel who is so poor that she has given the child away to a friend to raise her. The child is Israeli in every way and because of the crackdown in Illegal Immigration she stands a chance of being deported. This is not a film about politics it is about the human heart. 

Blood Relations- a documentary about a young woman who discovers that she has a close relative who married a Palestinian before 1948 and moved to the west Bank with him where she had 8 children. What makes this story so interesting is that the problems that arise after the long lost relatives return to the not so welcoming bosom of their families are not so much about being Palestinians vs. being Israeli but about the poverty of the Palestinian family and how the much wealthier Jewish family deals with this. A very unusual story that won’t leave you soon.

Lone Samaritan- This movie is just so unexpected it takes your breath away. The Samaritans are people who you could not have dreamed up. Split off from the rest of Jews for thousands of years (have I just said that) they have kind of toddled along and evolved to the people you see on the screen. If you like a good surprise and relish the unusual this is your movie.

This is my first blog of the season. I am feverishly working away so keep tuned.

Yours, 

Carole