Hiwar ma’ albahr (Conversation With The Sea)

In Jerusalem, Kamal, a 60-year-old Palestinian man, is ordered by an Israeli court to pay a large social security debt allegedly owed by his son Wael. But Wael drowned in the Red Sea decades ago. When no official record of his death can be found, Kamal follows the only remaining lead to uncover what happened to his son.

The inciting incident in Hiwar Ma’ Albahr is inspired by true and personal family events. Everything else, although fictional, represents different shades of the reality of my reflections on the complex, suffocating and yet enriching life in Jerusalem.
Growing up in Jerusalem was not easy, but it was a very rich experience that did a lot in shaping my view of life and the world around me. Jerusalem is haunted by fear. You encounter soldiers and armed settlers on a daily basis. Home demolitions and home evacuations are a daily scene in the holy city. People around you are constantly getting arrested, injured and killed. The environment is designed to guarantee the repeating cycles of violence and fear. However, as dark as life here is, everyone has to go on living, loving, breathing, searching for happiness, securing an income and finding something to look forward to.
This everyday life of average Palestinians, anti-heroes, living under occupation in the segregated story world of Jerusalem has been the centre of several works of mine and it is also centre stage in Hiwar Ma’ Albahr.
At the heart of the film lies a love story about family and about our human capacity to confront our guilt, pain and our flaws.
At the heart of the film lies a love and hate letter to my only home and my only city. Nostalgia for what it used to be, and grief over what it’s being forced to become.

PRODUCTION:
PalCine Productions - Muayad Alayan, Rami Alayan
Bethlehem
Bethlehem, State of Palestine
Tel: +972 528089352; +1 4152179090
E-mail: muayad@palcine.net; rami@palcine.net

OTHER PRODUCTIONS:
Hanneke Niens - KeyFilm
Faycal Hassairi - Metafora Production

WORLD SALES:
MAD World - Alaa Karkouti, Maher Diab
18 Salah al Din St. 3rd Floor, Zamalek
11561 Cairo, Egypt
Tel: +20 227357937
E-mail: Info@madworld.film
Web: http://mad-solutions.com
Social Media: @madfilmsofficial - Instagram

PRESS OFFICE:
Mia Farrell
Tel: +44 7791 670 465
E-mail: miafarrell@mac.com