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Precious Life

Precious Life

Chaim Yakarim

Shlomi Eldar

  • Country: Israel
  • Year: 2010
  • Language: Hebrew, Arabic
  • Producer: Ehud Bleiberg, Yoav Ze'Evi
  •  
  • Runtime: 86
  • Programmes:

With the help of a prominent Israeli journalist, Precious Life chronicles the struggle of an Israeli pediatrician and a Palestinian mother to get treatment for her baby, who suffers from an incurable genetic disease. Each must face their most profound biases as they inch towards a possible friendship in an impossible reality.

Documentary,  Arab World,  Israel,  Politics,  Women

screening times

    • Sunday September 12
    • 7:00:00 PM
    • AMC 2
    • Monday September 13
    • 6:00:00 PM
    • AMC 10
    • Sunday September 19
    • 3:00:00 PM
    • AMC 2

Note: indicates Premium Screening.

official description

Born without an immune system, four-month-old Palestinian boy Mohammad Abu Mustafa will die without a bone marrow transplant, a procedure that can only be done in an Israeli hospital. A desperate plea from his doctor to save Mohammad’s life leads Israeli journalist Shlomi Eldar to document this complex and emotional story. As Israeli and Palestinian doctors put aside their differences to protect the child, we are forced to confront the more personal ramifications of the embargo of Gaza.

A powerful appeal for peace, Precious Life explores the challenges and prejudices that must be overcome when officials from conflicting nations attempt to put aside their differences for a noble cause. But even the legitimacy of that cause is called into question due to the complex circumstances at play. Mohammad’s mother, Raida, struggles to address both her desperate desire to protect her son and harsh criticisms from her Gazan community. Her friends and family believe that allowing Jewish doctors, reporters and donors to help her baby marks an affront to their religion. To complicate matters further, Raida fully endorses the use of suicide bombing as a legitimate tool of Palestinian resistance. This forces Eldar – and we as the audience – to grapple with the intricate moral dilemma of saving a child who, later in life, may very well be encouraged to sacrifice his life to kill others.

A film about hope for peace in the Middle East, Precious Life also conveys the universal desire to protect our children and improve their quality of life. Eldar, who witnessed a shocking amount of bloodshed as a war correspondent on the Gaza strip, indicts the region’s violent status quo. While deeply controversial – particularly in Israel, where Precious Life premiered at this year’s Jerusalem Film Festival – the film has won acclaim for its raw depiction of courage and the fight for the safety of a family, regardless of religion and politics.

director bio

Shlomi Edlar is a war correspondent and journalist for Israel's Channel 10 News who has covered the Gaza Strip for nearly twenty years. He has a master's degree in Middle East Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and wrote the book Eyeless in Gaza. In 2007 he received the Sokolov Prize, Israel's most prestigious media award. Precious Life (10) is his first feature documentary.

full credits


Producer: Ehud Bleiberg, Yoav Ze'Evi
Cinematographer: Shlomi Eldar
Editor: Dror Reshef
Sound: Ronen Nagel
Music: Yehuda Poliker
   
International Sales Agent: Cinephil
Production Company: Origami Entertainment
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