The chilling story of Israel’s “development towns” as never told before. Testimonials and previously sealed transcripts expose harsh methods of law enforcement and the decision makers behind the “population dispersal” policies in the first decades of independence. These personal stories show the impact on immigrant families and Israeli society.The Ancestral SinCreated by: Doron Galezer, Ruth Yuval and David Deri | 2017, 109 minutes | DocumentaryNY PremiereDirector: David DeriCo-presented by JICNY
In this comedy, a well-intentioned Arab handyman upends daily life in an Israeli village. After a woman is assaulted and the community quickly turns accusatory, his Israeli employer is the only local who believes him. Loyalties are tested as more secrets are uncovered. Co-presented by IATFThe Cousin2017 | 93 minutes | NarrativeDirector: Tzahi Grad
Yasmin, a nurse who lives in Jaffa, is interrogated by the police. Lenny Sadeh, a world-renowned researcher, is passing through the last day of her life. The two women find their worlds meeting at a critical moment, and they are inseparably bound together. Co-presented by IATFDeath of a Poetess2017 | 80 minutes | NarrativeNY PremiereDirector: Dana Goldberg + Efrat Mishori
As Israeli society slips into extremism, an Arab actor and a Jewish journalist search for a place where they can belong. Ghassan Abbas was a TV star. Director Shlomi Eldar was a leading Arab Affairs’ correspondent who moved to the U.S.. Now they are each facing a professional crisis, and searching for a new path. Ophir Award Winner for Best Documentary. Co-presented by IATF, Mosaic Theater Company of DC and Partners for Progressive IsraelForeign Land2017 | 74 minutes | DocumentaryDirector: Shlomi Eldar
In the dead of night, director Rana Abu Fraiha’s parents fled their Bedouin village to Omer, a nearby Jewish town. Omer was home for 20 years, until Rana’s mother expressed a wish to be buried as a Muslim in Omer’s Jewish cemetery, forcing the family to discover the true meaning of belonging. Co-presented by IATFIn Her Footsteps2017 | 75 minutes | DocumentaryNYC PremiereDirector: Rana Abu Fraiha
Director Tamara Erde embarks on a journey through the photographs of her grandfather, a Zionist photographer from the 1930s. Her exploration reveals new insights about his choices in image-making, leading her to critically examine the history of Israeli society and the Zionist dream, past and present. Co-presented by New York Women in Film & TelevisionLooking for Zion2018 | 95 minutesDirector: Tamara Erde
Megiddo, a high-security prison, is a microcosm representing the painful experience of two nations. This film, made with unprecedented access, documents a tense reality. It shows the complex relationships between incarcerated Fatah and Hamas leaders and the commanders of the prison. Co–presented by OneVoice Please join OneVoice for a reception following the screening at the 7th floor Conference Center of the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan to learn about their international grassroots efforts. Screening: 5:30pm. Reception: 7:30pm.Megiddo2017 | 90 minutes | DocumentaryNY PremiereDirector: Itzik Lerner
Narrated by Mandy Patinkin. A Palestinian chemist decides to move from his Arab village to a Jewish kibbutz in southern Israel. The American founders, vowing to “fix the world” and the State of Israel, welcome him. Will the small kibbutz in the desert generate a new chance for Israeli society as a whole? Co-presented by the Arava Institute, Hashomer Hatzair, IATF, NIF, and Young JudaeaThe Optimists2018 | 54 minutes | DocumentaryWorld PremiereDirector: Eliezer Yaari
An award-winning filmmaker enters Tekoa, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, to talk with the locals. Their honest, surprising, and sometimes funny conversations offer a new take on Israeli reality on both sides of the Green Line. Co–presented by Friends of Roots Closing Night presented by EncounterUnsettling2018 | 70 minutes | DocumentaryU.S. PremiereDirector: Iris Zaki
Orna starts her new job with hopes for professional growth. She excels and is promoted to work closely with her enthusiastic boss. Her husband’s business struggles and she must become her family’s breadwinner. When her boss makes inappropriate advances, Orna is left to make tough decisions and fight for her self-worth. Co-presented by New York Women in Film & TelevisionWorking Woman2018 | 93 minutes | NarrativeDirector: Michal Aviad
A compilation of thought-provoking short films: In His Place Freedom Train Be/longing Co-presented by IATFShorts Session I83 minutes
Dir. Ofir Feldman | 2018 | 24 min | Narrative
Omar visits his parents’ house with the baby daughter of his departed Jewish lover, causing tension.
Dir. Tawfik Abu Wael | 2017 | 26 min | Narrative
An Arab woman rides the train to Tel Aviv and shares an encounter with an Israeli soldier, out of time and place.
Dir. Amit Breuer | 2018 | 33 min | Documentary
Amal is a Palestinian citizen of Israel. The complexities of Amal’s life offer an intimate look at carrying a mixed identity.
A compilation of thought-provoking short films: Tzeva Adom: Color Red I Signed the Petition Stranger of the DunesShorts Session II52 minutes
Dir. Michael Horwitz | 2017 | 20 min | Narrative
An Israeli soldier finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and forms an unlikely connection with a Palestinian boy over social media.
Dir. Mahdi Fleifel | 2018 | 10 min | Documentary
Immediately after a Palestinian man signs an online petition, he falls into a panic-inducing spiral of self-doubt.
Dir. Tamar Baruch | 2017 | 22 min | Narrative
An Eritrean refugee emerges from the desert and wanders into a small rural community in southern Israel, seeing visions of his past along the way.
Co–presented by HIAS
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