BE / LONGING

This short film is screened together with Razzia

Be/longing follows Amal Rihan from Jaffa-- a Palestinian citizen of the State of Israel, a devoted mother, divorced Muslim, and Arabic teacher -- during one of the most challenging times of the year: the days between Israel’s memorial day for fallen soldiers and Israel’s Independence day -- which, for Palestinians, is the Nakba “disaster” day. During these days, we also encounter Amal’s good friend, Mika, a Jewish Israeli, who leads a mixed Jewish, Muslim, and Christian women’s choir to perform, each year, at a joint memorial that commemorates both the Israeli and Palestinian narratives.  

Just as Mika’s choir strives to bring together disparate voices, Amal struggles to bring together the disparate strands of her identity: "For the Jews, I am Palestinian. For the Palestinians, I am Israeli. I ask myself who am I? To whom do I belong?" Against the backdrop of Jaffa, a mixed city annexed to Tel Aviv, the complexities and contradictions of Amal’s life unfold before us, offering an intimate and honest look at what it means to carry a mixed identity.