Essential Cinema: Films of the Middle East and Beyond
From the AFS Web site:
Ajami
Cinematography by Boaz Yehonatan Yaacov
Edited by Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani
Israel, 2009, distributed by Kino International, BetaSP, color, 120 min.
Cast: Shahir Kabaha, Scandar Copti, Ibrahim Frege, Eran Naim, Fouad Habash
Arabic & Hebrew with English subtitles
Ajami
is a neighborhood in Jaffa, Israel, one in which Jews, Muslims, and
Christians live and work. It becomes a microcosm of the Arab/Israeli
conflict in which tensions, anger, and fear run at such a fever pitch
that emotions always trump rationality and people suffer unnecessarily.
Various “chapters” interweave the stories of young men and boys
involved in seeing friends and relatives killed, making blood money
payments, naively dealing drugs, working illegally, crossing religious
barriers for love, and trying to maintain honor while surviving in a
cauldron. AJAMI provides a sobering look at conflicts within a far more
complex Israel than generally shown. Winner of “Best Feature Film” at
Thessaloniki International Film Festival (Nov 2009) and Israel’s
submission for Oscar consideration (2010).