77 Steps

If only more reality programming were like this creative documentary: personal, raw, nuanced and thought-provoking. Filmmaker Ibtisam Mara’ana (Lady Kul El-Arab, SFJFF 2009) leaves her childhood home in Fureidis, an Arab village near Haifa, to make a life for herself in Tel Aviv—and make a movie about her journey. Early in the film, we meet Ibtisam’s neighbor Jonathan, a Jew from Montreal who has recently emigrated to Israel and soon becomes her boyfriend. The portrait of their charming cross-cultural relationship soon gets complicated, unfolding against the backdrop of the 2009 Gaza violence: glimpses of Ibtisam and Jonathan’s Facebook photo albums or scenes of them making dinner together give way to footage of the couple’s anti-war activity, their reluctance to reveal their relationship to inquisitive parents, and an extraordinary return visit with Jonathan’s Canadian grandfather to the kibbutz he helped found, where a heated political argument erupts. What emerges is a melancholy reminder that love can’t always conquer all.

From 2008 Festival: Director, Israel Filmography: 2003 Written and directed "Paradise Lost", 56 minutes documentary. Awards: • The Best Script Award for co-productions at the DocAviv Festival, Tel Aviv, 2003. • The First-Creation Award the Photography Award at the 2003 International DocAviv Festival, Tel Aviv. • The Documentary Award at the 2003 Women's Festival in Rehovot. 2004 Written and directed "Al -Jiser", (The Bridge), 50 minutes documentary. 2005 Written and directed "Badal", 60 minutes documentary, Awards: • The "Spirit of Freedom " Award, premiered at the Jerusalem International Festival, and IDFA film Festival. • The best short Documentary Award in HOTDOCS, Toronto. • The AWARD OF MAYOR OF OLOMOUC in THE International film festival Academia Film Olomouc. • The Channel Rai Award , in PREMIO International Documentary , ROME. 2007 Written and directed "THREE TIMES DIVORCED " ,75 minutes documentary. Awards: • Won The Best Israeli Award Of The International film festival DocAviv , TEL- AVIV , and the FIPA silver prize. THREE TIMES DIVORCED was premiered at the HOTDOCS International Film Festival.