While it seems unfathomable there can be any controversy related to the human suffering currently happening in Gaza, the on-the-ground reporting brings a vital, harrowing call to action. By extension, cinema from the region can help those around the world step in the shoes of those enduring unceasing oppression. Firas Khoury’s TIFF selection Alam, which depicts the fraught political awakening young Palestinians are forced to undergo, will now get a U.S. release on April 26 and we’re pleased to exclusively debut the new trailer.
Here’s the synopsis: “Despite being part of a young generation of Palestinian Arabs whose families chose to stay and challenge the Israeli state after Al-Nakba, 17-year-old Tamer and his friends are just like any other group of teenage boys. They clumsily search for drugs, flirt with girls, play video games, and slack off at school. However, when a beautiful new student named Maysaa’ joins their class Tamer immediately falls for her and, by association, is drawn into her political activism. Together they join fellow classmate, Safwat, in an operation to covertly raise the Palestinian flag and peacefully disrupt the local celebrations planned for Israel’s Independence Day – otherwise known to Palestinians as a day of mourning and memorialization for their displacement 70 years prior. Unsure of his own political convictions, Tamer must quickly determine what matters to him and what price he is willing to pay for freedom.”
“In this film I wish to give prominence to the Palestinian youth, who have willingly and despite all chosen to turn their peaceful struggle against injustice their primary vocation,” said director Firas Khoury. High school students with courageous souls have become a great source of inspiration to me, since I began following and observing them in recent years. My aim in this film is to expose their struggle to define and reinvent themselves, as well as to bring forth their personal story. I wish to show the world that a Palestinian teenager is no different from any other around the world, they have similar dreams and aspirations, and they seek to embark on new experiences, to find love and recognition while transforming into adults.”
See our exclusive trailer premiere below.
Alam arrives on VOD and digital on April 26.