The Dead of Jaffa
Synopsis
Three children from the West Bank are smuggled into Israel, arriving at the doorstep of George and Rita’s house in Jaffa. Their mother is dead, and their father has been sentenced for life. As Israeli Palestinians, George is afraid that hiding illegal aliens will endanger Rita and himself, while Rita believes the arrival of these children could give meaning to her life. Nearby, a foreign film is being shot. Jerry, an English director, is making a movie about his parents’ love affair in 1947, when they served in the British army in Palestine. George is invited to play a part. When the two stories intertwine, tensions erupt.
Credits
Director(s)
Ram Loevy
Producer(s)
Itai Tamir
Co-Producer(s)
Tony Copti, Ami Livne, Yair Rotlevi, Ligad Rotlevy, Zipora Loevy, Gabriela Gutman, Danny Barnea, Ram Loevy
Script
Gilad Evron, Ala Hlehel
Cinematography
Yoram Millo
Editor
Neta Braun
Original Music
Ran Bagno
Cast
Yussuf Abu Warda, Ruba Bilal-Asfour, Jonny Phillips, Salim Daw, Maya Flamm, Jihad Babay, Maysa Daw, Alon Dahan, Ori Yaniv, Bilal Babai, Coral Zakkak, Khaulah Al Haj Dibsi
Original Language
Hebrew, Arabic, English
Subtitles
English
Sound Design
Michael Goorevich
Festival Highlights
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WINNER
Best Costume Design Award"Ophir Awards"- Israel Film Academy2020 -
Honorable Mention
FriCine - Festival Internacional de Cinema Socioambiental de Nova Friburgo2021
FriCine - Festival Internacional de Cinema Socioambiental de Nova Friburgo, Brazil, Competition, 2021
Golden Apricot Int' Film Festival, Armenia, 2020
Mosaic World Film Festival, USA, 2020
Kolnoa CZ Film Festival, Czech Republic, 2020
Milano Jewish Film Festival, Italy, 2020
New Jersey Jewish Film Festival, USA, 2020
Toronto Jewish Film Festival, Canada, 2020
UK Jewish Film Festival, UK, 2020
Zurich Yesh Film Festival, Switzerland, 2020
Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival, USA, 2020
San Diego Jewish Film Festival, USA, 2020
DOK.fest Munich, Germany, 2020
Santa Barbara International Film Festival, USA, 2020
Jerusalem International Film Festival, Israel, Feature Competition, 2019
Reviews
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"”The Dead of Jaffa” Is a cinematic masterpiece, weaving together Israeli and Palestinian realities, memories real and imagined, usable past and an entirely untenable present"
- Olga Gershenson, Professor of Judaic and Middle Eastern Studies & Film Studies, University of Massachusetts
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""You cannot forget the picture that seals the film of Levy and Evron, which at least left me suffocating in my throat. This film is another testament to Levy's being one of the human, direct and decent voices in television work in Israel, and from now on, how worthy and strange it is to be noted - also in cinema"."
- Shmulik Duvdevani, YNET
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""Levy, whose gaze is as sharp as ever, is
educated to wrap up the scream that emerges from the film gently""
- Uri Klein, Haaretz
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""Ram Levy's film, which follows a Jaffa couple who bring home three children from the West Bank, captures the heart and anoints politics with humanism"."
- Yael Shub, Time Out
