On Hold

Director: Rokaya Sabbah
Israel 2007 52 mins
Language: Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles

On Hold is the story of Director Rokaya Sabbah and her partner - a young Israeli Arab couple who decide to leave Israel for a better life in Spain.

A quirky, complex and touching story that reveals the unique dilemma faced by many Israeli Arabs, caught between twin identities and mixed allegiances. The decision to stay or to go unearths the deep contradictions of life in Israel.

The film follows the young couple as they face the painful decision to leave the place they grew up in, the homeland of their ancestors. In an honest attempt to find solace for their conflicting feelings, they seek answers from the people around them: Rokaya’s Muslim family, her husband’s Christian family and their friends, Arabs and Jews, only to find out that this dilemma is far from being only theirs alone.

Should they stay at home and fight for basic rights and for a decent life or should they follow their dreams and embark on the road to find another promised and more tolerant homeland?

Screening with Ashes

Director Rokaya Sabbah will attend the screening and take part in a post-screening panel discussion: Inside-out: Filmmakers, filmmaking and the experience of minorities in Israel