“An Orange From Jaffa” / dir. Mohammed Almughanni / drama / 2023 / 27 min. / Poland, France

AN ORANGE FROM JAFFA won the Grand Prize at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.

A few kilometres from Jerusalem, the Hizma checkpoint, even before the events of recent months. There has been tension here for decades and the controls are extremely strict. A small mistake can cost a lot. Mohammed, a young Palestinian with a temporary Polish identity card, tries to get through the Israeli checkpoint to meet his mother. Successive drivers refuse to give him a lift. The kind-hearted taxi driver Farouk agrees. He does not know that the boy has already tried to cross another checkpoint and has been turned back. Farouk is also in a hurry to attend a very important meeting. The military quickly discovers the truth, which means very serious trouble for both men. Locked in the car, they will wait for the final decision. A gripping cinema, close to the man, showing the absurdity of the conflict on a micro scale. The film is presented in the national and international competitions.