Sat May 26 | 7:00 pm | VIFC

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Director: Ido Haar, Israel, 2006, 78 minutes
Arabic with English subtitles

In Israel’s occupied territories, thousands of Palestinians work illegally as construction labourers. After making an arduous and dangerous journey loaded with blankets and bags, they cross the hills to the places where they can find employment. At night they sleep on the hillcrests in improvised huts and coffin-like sleeping cubicles, a stark contrast to the luxury apartment complexes they build by day. But they have made homes for themselves, complete with cosy pillows and power generated by batteries they have scraped together. Sharing food, belongings and stories, people like Ahmed and Muhammad live under the constant threat of being arrested –  police, soldiers and secret service agents are tirelessly on alert for illegal workers. With raw handheld images, this disconcerting yet touching film intimately documents friendship, nostalgia and the uncompromising drive to survive.

“A documentary that unravels almost like a thriller, and at times seems like an absurd comedy; but above all it displays an alternative reality that exists side by side with Israeli reality, like a world of ghosts wandering around it.” –  Uri Klein, Ha’aretz

Winner –  Best Documentary, Wolgin Competition, 2006 Jerusalem International Film Festival

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