Arab Labour

Avoda Aravit*
Director: Ron Ninio
Israel 2007 3x30 mins
Language: Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles
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*Hebrew slang for sloppy workmanship

From the renowned writer, Sayed Kashua this comic Israeli TV series has managed to burn more than a few holy cows and also to win great acclaim and a fair share of fans in Israel and internationally.

Amjed (Norman Issa), a Palestinian Israeli journalist, is desperate to integrate into Israeli society. He will go as far as selling his ‘Subaru’ for a less ‘Arab looking car’, attend a traditional Seder night and even send his young daughter to a Jewish nursery. His grand project of ‘Israelization’ is not to his conservative parents’ liking while his trendy wife (Clara Khoury) parodies his creative attempts to conceal his identity.

In the course of Amjed’s climb up the ladder of Israeli society, racial, ethnic and national stereotypes are revealed and all sides find themselves under scrutiny. Using whimsical gestures the inequalities and absurdities of Israeli society and its Arab minority are laid bare, using humour to great effect as an emotive and thought provoking tool.

Series writer Sayed Kashua and Producer Danny Paran will attend the screening which will be followed by a Q&A.

Best Israeli TV Series, Jerusalem Film Festival 2008