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Monday, January 16 at 8:30pm Miami Theater Center
Wednesday, January 25 at 8:00pm Coral Gables Art Cinema
Streaming January 17-25, 2023 Digital Screening Room

Israel | 92 minutes | 2022

Cinema Sabaya

Southeast US Premiere

Israel’s official entry to the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film and winner of three Israeli Academy Awards (Ophirs) including Best Film and Best Director. Sparked by her own experience in leading film workshops, director Orit Fouks Rotem delivers an inspirational drama about the power of art to unify and create connections across cultures. Nine women enroll in a course with Rona (played by Dana Ivgy from MJFF 2015 film Zero Motivation), a young director hired to teach an introductory filmmaking course. Jewish and Arab, secular and devout, these nine women share their personal video footage with their classmates every week. They use their meetings and exercises to reflect on their roles as wives and mothers and pluck up the courage to imagine a different reality for themselves. With each lesson, they are not only confronted with the stark differences in their circumstances, but also by their elements of connection. The result is both an illuminating lesson in empathy and a beautiful portrait of women bridging the cultural divide and gathering in sisterhood.

Accompanying the film premiere is a discussion with director Orit Fouks Rotem and actors Dana Ivgy & Joanna Said. To view the conversation please click here.

Awards

Israel's entry to the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

Director's Bio

Directed by Orit Fouks Rotem

Director Photo
Orit Fouks Rotem is a graduate of the Sam Spiegel Film School in Jerusalem. Her films have been presented at numerous festivals around the world, including San Sebastian and Munich. Cinema Sabaya is Orit’s feature film debut.

Cast and Credits

Director

Orit Fouks Rotem

Screenwriter

Orit Fouks Rotem

Cinematographer

Itay Marom

Editor

Neta Dvorkis

Cast

Dana Ivgy, Aseel Farhat, Khawlah Hag-Debsy

Film Info

Year

2022

Country

Israel

Run-time

92 minutes

Language

Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles
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