Trailer
Synposis
Dancing Arabs tells the story of Eyad, a Palestinian-Israeli boy from the town of Tira whose parents send to a prestigious Jewish boarding school in Jerusalem. At school he finds himself struggling with issues of language, culture, and identity – trying to survive and to find his way in a place where war constantly rages around him. Feeling foreign and alienated, Eyad realizes that in order to be accepted as an equal, in order to allay people’s suspicions, in order to work, to love, and, above all, to belong – he has to make personal sacrifices.
As we have come to expect of Riklis and Kashua, the film examines with both acumen and empathy the complex texture of relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel, the influence of regional events on the lives of the people there, and the journey of one young man looking for a way to break out of all the boundaries that await him in life. All this is served up with subtle humor and irony, guiding the viewer through the ins and outs of the moving story while at the same time providing a poignant real-life experience.
Credits
Cast:
Eyad : Tawfeek Barhum
Edna: Yael Abecassis
Yonatan: Michael Moshonov
Salah: Ali Suliman
Naomi: Danielle Kitzis
Grandmother Aisha: Marlene Bajali
Fahima: Laëtitia Eïdo
Eyad (Boy): Razi Gabareen
Principal Jamal: Norman Issa
Bassem: Khalifa Natour
Wassim: Kais Nashef
Wajdi: Loai Nofi
School Principal: Rona Lipaz-Michael
Literature Teacher: Shirili Deshe
History Teacher: Keren Tzur
Director: Eran Riklis
Screenwriter: Sayed Kashua (Based on his book)
Producers: Chilik Michaeli, Michael Eckelt, Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre, Avraham Pirchi, Tami Leon, Bettina Brokemper
Associate Producers: Moshe Edery, Leon Edery, Simon Ofenloch
Director of Photography: Michael Wiesweg
Editor: Richard Marizy
Production Designer: Yoel Herzberg
Original Score: Yonatan Riklis
Costume Designer: Hamada Atallah
Make-up and hair: Ziv Katanov
Casting: Yael Aviv
Sound Recordist: Rolf Manzei
Sound Designer: Gil Toren
Sound Mixer: Herve Buirette
Line Producer: Karen Belz
1st Assistant Director: Doron Ofer
Line Producer (Germany): Christian Vennefrohne
Produced by: U.C.M. United Channels Movies, Mact Productions, Riva Filmproduktion, Heimatfilm, Alma Film Production
Supported by: The Israel Film Fund, Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée
An Israeli, French & German Production
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Festivals
BFI London Film Festival – 2014
Hamptons International Film Festival – 2014
Telluride Film Festival (USA) 2014
Locarno Film Festival 2014 – Piazza Grande
Jerusalem Film Festival 2014 – Opening Film
And more…
Press
‘A Borrowed Identity’: A Jewish education for an Arab Israeli
By David Lewis | July 22, 2015
‘A Borrowed Identity’: Brilliant Exploration of Identity and Conflict
By Cate Marquis | June 6, 2015
Movie review: Waltz over to ‘Dancing Arabs’
By Aaron Katsman | Jerusalem Post | October, 2, 2014
Sous le ciel de Telluride, le réel se dispute avec la fiction (French)
By Thomas Sotinel | Le Monde September 1, 2014
Watch: Exclusive Clip from Eran Riklis’ ‘Dancing Arab’ Breaks Down Barriers
By Oliver MacMahon | Indiewire July 31, 2014
Dancing Arabs: le relazioni tra ebrei e arabi di Israele a Locarno 2014 (Italian)
Scritto da: Cut-tv’s – giovedì 31 luglio 201
Dancing Arabs to open Jerusalem | ScreenDaily
16 May, 2014 | By Wendy Mitchell
Technicals information
Genre: Drama
Year: 2014
Length: 105 min
Original languages: Hebrew & Arabic
Subtitles available: English / French / Hebrew
Sales Contact
World Sales: The Match Factory
Israeli Distribution: United King Films