Ajami

Director: Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani
Israel 2009 120 mins
Language: Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles
Awards: Winner of Camera D'Or- Special Mention, Cannes Film Festival 2009 and The Wolgin Award for Best Full-Length Feature, Jerusalem International Film Festival 2009

Two teenage brothers Omar and Nasri get caught up in a blood feud between warring clans while local policeman Dando desperately seeks his soldier brother, missing in action. Malek is a naive, illegal Palestinian worker who gets on the wrong side of a drug deal, and pleasure-seeking Binj just wants to leave it all behind for a quiet life in Tel Aviv with his Jewish girlfriend.

Welcome to Ajami, a poor, crime-ridden neighbourhood of Jaffa where Muslims, Jews and Christians live side by side in an uneasy and fragile co-existence.The interlocking stories and fates of its various characters collide with devastating effect in this stunning debut feature.The two directors - one Israeli Arab and the other Israeli Jewish - and a cast of mainly non-professional locals make this edgy, urban drama brim with raw energy and authenticity. As a microcosm of life in Israel itself, Ajami is a story of real neighbours caught up in an impossible situation. DB

The directors Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani will attend the screening, which will be followed by a Q&A.