Israel | 2001 | 95 min. | Hebrew, Arabic, Russian | Hebrew Sub | Fiction
Sammy Michael’s renowned novel is adapted into a story of an impossible love between two people on the margins of Israeli society: Alex, a new immigrant from Russia, and Huda, an Arab woman from Wadi Nisnas in Haifa.
Huda’s life is intertwined with that of Israeli society; she reads Amichai’s poetry, works at a Jewish-owned travel agency, and speaks fluent Hebrew. She falls in love with Alex, the eccentric Jew who moves into a rooftop room in their shared building. Their love story unfolds between the two worlds she inhabits: her Israeli world and her Arab world.
Her Arab cousin is killed in a militant attack, while her lover is called up for reserve duty. Her family struggles to accept the relationship, and Alex finds it hard to cope with her doubts.
Production: Riki Shelach
Script: Amit Lior
Cinematography: Itzik Portal
Editing: Bracha Zisman-Cohen
Cast: Alex Sandrovich, Hawala Haj-Dibsi, Raeda Adon
Live Podcast Trumpet in the Wadi
Gilad Levi Kupelman
Following the screening, a live and special episode of the podcast "There Were Times in Israel" will be recorded, which deals with cinema and television classics in Israel. The episode will be hosted by Gilad Levi Kupelman, who will hold a panel discussion with Lena and the film's cast and crew, about the process of adapting Sami Michael's novel to film, the artistic choices, and how the cross-national love story at its center was reflected then, and how it is reflected today, in a reality of polarization where questions of identity, nationality, and coexistence are at the heart of public discourse.
Gilad Levi Kupelman is an editor and director in commercial and public television for over 20 years. He lectures on cinema and television, creates and hosts the podcast "There Were Times in Israel" and also initiates and hosts cultural events, celebratory screenings, and panels throughout the country. In his work, he examines the interplay between creation, society, and politics.