Elite Zexer
Sand Storm
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Feature film

Drama

90 minutes

Arabic

Israel

Synopsis

Desert noon in a Bedouin village in southern Israel. Jalila plays hosts to an awkward celebration – the marriage of her husband to a second, much younger wife – while having to conceal the insult that boils inside of her. Her daughter Layla is preoccupied with a different matter. Her secret, strictly forbidden, love affair with Anuar was just discovered by her mother.

Jalila believes that the world is harsh and cruel and that the only way to win is to keep your mouth shut and your head held high. The idea is not to draw too much attention to yourself and to struggle from inside against the limits of the traditional world.

Layla does not believe that there are limits to the world surrounding her. Everything can be hers if only she  wishes for it hard enough. But, as the story unfolds, each fails in her individual battle. Their entire family falls apart and everything they believe in is shattered.

Now the two women are forced to understand that  if they wish to survive, they will have to start seeing the world through each other's eyes.

WORLD SALES: Beta Cinema

Crew

Written and directed by: Elite zexer

Producers: Haim Mecklberg, Estee Yacov-Mecklberg

Executive producers: Rami Yehoshua, Moshe Edery, Leon Edery, Yigal Mograbi

Director of photography: Shai Peleg

Production designer: Nir Adler

Editor: Ronit Porat

Sound designer: Gil Toren

Sound engineer: Ori Tchechik

Cast

Layla: Lamis Ammar

Jalila: Ruba Blal

Suliman: Haitham Omari

Awards

Israel Film Academy Awards 2016

WINNER - Best Film

WINNER - Best Director - Elite Zexer

WINNER - Best Supporting Actress - Ruba Blal-Asfour

WINNER - Best Production Design - Nir Adler

WINNER - Best Make Up - Carmit Bouzaglo

WINNER - Best Casting - Limor Shmila

Taipei Film Festival 2016

WINNER - Special Mention - International New Talent Competition

Traverse City Film Festival 2016

WINNER - Best Foreign Fiction Prize for first time filmmaker

Seattle International Film Festival 2016

WINNER - New Directors Competition Grand Jury Prize

Jeonju International Film Festival 2016

WINNER - International Competition Grand Prize

Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival 2016

Panorama

Sundance Film Festival 2016

WINNER - World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize

Locarno Film Festival 2015

WINNER - First Look on Israel work in progress competition

Jerusalem Film Festival 2015

WINNER - Work in progress competition

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:

Berlin International Film Festival

Toronto International Film Festival

Shanghai International Film Festival

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

Edinburgh International Film Festival

New Zealand International Film Festival

Opening film - Dortmund|Cologne International Women's Film Festival

Valletta Film Festival

Woods Hole Film Festival

Transilvania International Film Festival

New Horizons International Film Festival

Traverse City Film Festival

Sofia International Film Festival

Trailer