Sand Storm

Synopsis & Film Details

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and Israel’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards, Sand Storm is a family drama that unfolds in a Bedouin village in southern Israel.  It is the story of a mother and daughter, more alike than they care to admit, both rebelling against Bedouin traditions.  Jalila, a 42 year-old woman, must host her husband’s marriage to a second and much younger wife.  During the celebration, she discovers her eldest daughter Layla’s involvement with a boy from another tribe, forbidden in the Bedouin tradition.  Each woman rebels, and the family falls apart.  Although the women have differing world views, they begin to realize they must start viewing the world through the other’s eyes in order to survive.  In Arabic, with English subtitles.

Director/Writer: Elite Zexer
Israel (2016) • 87 minutes • Not Rated
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Screening Sponsor: Fresno Jewish Film Series and Jewish Studies Program – Fresno State

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