Synopsis
Eyal Bizawe was about seven years old when he sat with his mum watching the latest offering from the world of Arab cinema. Back then, it was an Israeli Friday ritual - and a strange one at that, since at the time, before any peace treaties, Egypt was considered to be Israel's number one enemy as was the culture that came from Arab countries.
"As the movie started, my mum recognized the actress: 'there's Laila Mourad!' she'd say - and she knew all the words to the songs...I asked her how she knew Mourad and her answer completely shocked me: 'She is your grandmother's cousin!'"
As a child raised within a Zionist family, through the Arab-Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973, Eyal was enthralled by the victories of "tiny Israel".
"I wanted to know that someone from my family took part in and contributed to all of that. Not only was there no such relative - but now my mother was telling me there were Arabs in the family! Maybe we are Arabs as well?"
That's the starting point for our film: Eyal and his family, watching the beautiful, venerated Jewish movie star Laila Mourad. The film will remember this viewing ritual - but not simply for the purpose of nostalgia. We will reveal the strange, special bond of culture between Egyptians and Israelis, holding strong through times of war and despite closed borders.
This film unfolds along two lines: the first tracks the secret passage by which Egyptian films were smuggled into Israel, a trip that takes us through East Jerusalem, Jordan and Cairo. The second storyline revolves around the faithful viewers: those Israelis, that watched the films to bridge the gap to a world they'd left behind - and for a refuge from the rough, militaristic Israel of that time.
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