200 Meters
Directed by
Palestine, Jordan, Qatar, Italy, Sweden
2020
96 min
- Arabic
Drama
Venice Giornate degli Autori
Scope Expanded - 2021 Academy Award Submissions for Best International Feature
Mustafa and his wife Salwa come from two Palestinian villages that are only 200 meters apart, but separated by the wall. Their unusual living situation is starting to affect their otherwise happy marriage, but the couple does what they can to make it work. Every night, Mustafa flashes a light from his balcony to wish his children on the other side a goodnight, and they signal him back. One day Mustafa gets a call that every parent dreads: his son has been in an accident. He rushes to the checkpoint where he must agonisingly wait in line only to find out there is a problem with his fingerprints and is denied entry. Desperate, Mustafa resorts to hiring a smuggler to bring him across. His once 200-meter journey becomes a 200-kilometer odyssey joined by other travellers determined to cross.
Awards
- Star for Best Actor: Ali Suliman (Feature Narrative Competition) - El Gouna FF
- Cinema for Humanity Audience Award - El Gouna FF
- FIPRESCI Award - El Gouna FF
- Jordan's Official Submission to the 93rd Academy Awards
Festivals
Labels & Line Ups
Credits
- Cast
- Ali Suliman
- Anna Unterberger
- Motaz Malhees
- Lana Zreik
- Gassan Abbas
- Screenplay
- Ameen Nayfeh
- Cinematography
- Elin Kirschfink
- Editing
- Kamal El Mallakh
- Music
- Faraj Suleiman
Director's Statement
I carry lots of memories that I no longer have access to, or it could be that I fear to dwell on them. Oppression does alienate you as it denies your basic rights; especially when you start adapting to it! A forced separation aches a lot. 200 Meters is my story and the story of thousands of Palestinians, and stories can definitely alter lives. I believe in the power of the cinema and how it touches our lives in magical ways. I need to tell this story. Images of the wall, checkpoints and soldiers are probably what come to mind when Palestine is mentioned. Although these images are also in this film, the focus will be on what such a separation does to us as human beings. And to shed more light on the invisible barriers and walls that are created as a result of the physical barrier. Here in Palestine, we got used to adapting to new situations, doing as we are told and camouflaging our feelings. But this should no longer be acceptable. Freedom of movement is a very basic human right that seems to be a fairytale in such a brutal reality. The main character Mustafa has obeyed the rules, endured the humiliation and done as he was told in order to secure a small chance to be with his family, but when the same rules that alienated his life put his family and fatherhood at stake, will he obey them any longer?
- Sales
- TRUE COLOURS
- Production
- ODEH FILMS
Press
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Part family drama, part road movie, the film — which landed the audience prize in Venice Days — works best when drawing out how one man’s story is a reflection of a collective experience.
Ameen Nayfeh
Ameen Nayfeh (Palestine, 1988) spent his formative years moving between Jordan and Palestine. Despite an early interest in filmmaking, in 2010 he earned his B.Sc. in Nursing from Al-Quds University in East Jerusalem. Two years later, he earned an MFA in film producing from the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts in Jordan. He writes, produces, and directs award-winning short films.