Bethlehem
Foreign Language Oscar Submissions: All Films • 1h 40m
Yuval Adler • Israel • 2013 • A complexly human portrait of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Sanfur is seventeen years old, the younger brother of Ibrahim, a prominent Palestinian militia leader. Living with his domineering father and taciturn mother, it is clear that Sanfur's life has been overshadowed by his brother, who is considered a local hero. Unbeknownst to any of them, Sanfur has been steadily feeding intel on his brother's activities to Razi, an Israeli secret service officer with whom Sanfur has formed a deep if not volatile bond. Amid a land of violence, intrigue, and shifting loyalties, a complexly human portrait of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict begins to emerge.
Starring non-professional actors in richly nuanced roles, and co-written with a Palestinian journalist, Israeli filmmaker Yuval Adler's first film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it won Best Film in Giornate degli Autori.
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