(Pomegranates and Myrrh) رمان و المر
| 2008 | 95 min | 35mm | Color |
| Director | Najwa Najjar |
| Screenwriters | Najwa Najjar |
| Producer | Hani Kort |
| Cinematographer | Valentina Caniglia |
| Editor | Bettina Bohler |
| Composer | Mychael Danna |
Cast
| Ali Suliman | Ashraf Farah | Hiam Abbas | Yasmine Al Massri |
Synopsis
Ramallah this decade. A free spirited woman dancer, Kamar, finds herself the wife of a prisoner, Zaid, and away from everything she loves until she returns to the dance, defying society’s taboos. At the dance Kamar is confronted with Kais, a Palestinian returnee, who has taken Kamar's role as the head choreographer. Sparks fly between Kamar and Kais, creating more than a passionate, emotional dance for the both of them. Matters become even more complicated when Zaid's sentence is extended.
At the same time the family's legal case against the land confiscation faces one obstacle after another and the villagers from the nearby villages are unable to reach the family's olive groves, placing the annual harvest and consequently the family's livelihood in danger. And Kamar's life is thrown into turmoil as she becomes increasingly attached to Kais, and caught in the midst of her desire to dance and breaking the family and society taboos of the prisoner's wife's role while life under occupation rages on.
About the Director
Palestinian-born writer and director Najwa Najjar has worked in both documentary and fiction. ‘Pomegranates and Myrrh’, her feature debut, won the Amiens Scriptwriting Award and participated in the Sundance Scriptwriting Lab and the Mediterranean Films Crossing Borders Cannes workshop. Previously, Najjar has shown a number of short films, to great acclaim, at film festivals worldwide.
Festivals
- Arab World Opening Gala Dubai International Film Festival
- Sundance Film Festival
- Goteborg International Film Festival
- Rotterdam International Film Festival
- Arabesques Kennedy Center
- Fribourg International Film Festival
- Tetouan International Film Festival
- Houston Palestine Film Festival 2009
Awards:
- Script Winner Screenplay Development Fund Amiens, France
- Cinema in Motion San Sebastian Film Festival (4 awards) \
Trailer:
Back to Line up: HPFF 2009
