77 Steps

Israel, Palestine, 2010

The director, Ibtisam Mara'ana, leaves her Arab-Muslim village and moves to Tel Aviv. After most landlords refuse to rent her an apartment because of her Arab origins, she finally finds an apartment, and meets her neighbor – Jonathan, a Jewish-Canadian man who immigrated to Israel. A love story evolves.
On New Year’s Eve 2009 Israel invades Gaza. Ibtisam struggles over her Palestinian identity in the shadow of war and hatred, but does not relinquish her relationship with Jonathan. Yet something has gone sour.
Jonathan‘s family refuses to meet his girlfriend. Ibtisam is also unable to reveal her relationship to her mother and keeps it a secret.
One day, Jonathan’s grandfather comes from Canada on a nostalgic trip to Kibbutz Ein-Dor, which he helped found in 1948. Ibtisam and Jonathan join him. It becomes an individual journey for each one of them – one that takes them backwards in time and forward into the unknown, to memories and dreams, Nakba and independence, love and hate, longing and loss.

Documentary  | Video  |  56   Minutes  |  Color  |  Hebrew, Arabic and English, Hebrew and English subtitles

Director: Ibtisam Mara'ana
Screenplay: Ibtisam Mara'ana
Cinematography: Ibtisam Mara'ana, Shahar Reznik
Editing: Miri Laufer, Halil Efrat
Picture Editing: Erez Laufer
Music: Avi Balleli
Production: Ibtisam Mara'ana – Ibtisam Films
Source: Ibtisam Films

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