ALMOST FRIENDS

Dir. Nitzan Ofir and Barak Heymann (60min, Israel, 2014) Hebrew and Arabic with English Subtitles
Documentary
Mid-Atlantic Premiere

Only 67 kilometers separate Lod and Tlamim, but the residents are a world apart, divided by vast national, cultural and ideological differences. Through an education and technology school program aimed at bridging gaps in Israeli society, sixth-grade students from a secular school in the impoverished city of Lod and a religious school in the settlement of Tlamim are paired as online pen pals.

Samar, an Arab girl from Lod and Linor, a Jewish settler who lived in Gush Katif, forge an instant connection online; when the two girls finally meet, their families enter into a profound and complex experience.

Co-presented by The Documentary Center at GWU, Israel Action Center at the JCRC of Greater Washington, GW Feminist Student Union, and Gather The Jews.

Pnina Agenyahu, Senior Shlicha for Israel Engagement, the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, and Isaac Zablocki, Director of the Israel Film Center at JCC Manhattan, will be leading a discussion after the February 24 screening.

Director Nitzan Ofir has worked extensively in the Israeli film and television industry, as a director assistant, line producer and researcher. She studied MFA studies of film and television at Tel Aviv University. “Almost Friends” is her debut film.

 

 

Barak Heymann joined the Heymann Brothers Films in 2003 and has since directed and produced many leading Israeli documentary films such as Life In Stills, The Queen Has No Crown and I Shot My Love. Heymann Brothers Films is an independent Israeli company dedicated to the release of documentaries on the social aspect of the Israeli/Jewish culture.