The Syrian Bride

Colour, 35 mm
Israel, France, Germany, 2004, 97 min
Section: Another View
Oficiální stránky: www.syrianbride.com

Synopsis

A tragicomic story about a wedding day, set on the Israeli-Syrian border in the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since 1967 - a film not only about borders between states, but also within the family. The bride Mona was born into a well situated Drusian family from the border village of Majdal Shams. (The Druses are a Shiite sect and their nationality is officially “undefined”). The girl is marrying the popular Syrian actor Tallal, whom she knows only from TV soaps. Marriage for her means that she will no longer be able to return home from Syria. Her relatives accompany her to no-man’s land between the border stations. The groom is on the other side. However, a bureaucratic hitch occurs, and everyone has to wait until it is sorted out. In the interim, there’s time to unravel a few complex family traumas, influenced by the political situation, religious prejudice and age-old traditions.

About the director

Eran Riklis (b. 1954) studied at the National Film School in Beaconsfield, England, and his first feature film, the political thriller On a Clear Day You Can See Damascus (B’yom bahir ro’im et Damashek) was made in 1984. Since that time he has been working as a screenwriter, director and producer of shorts, features, documentaries and TV films and series, and also as a creator of advertising spots. He attracted the attention of the critics with the film Cup Final (Gmar gavi’a, 1991), in which he treats his constant theme of the coexistence of various nations in his native Israel. His most successful and most personal film to date is The Syrian Bride (2004), awarded at the Montreal World Film Festival: Grand Prix des Amériques, FIPRESCI Prize and the People’s Choice Award; it also won the Audience Award at the Locarno IFF. Other films: Zohar (1993), Volcano Junction (Tzomet Volkan, 1999) and Borders (Vegvul Natan, 1999; co-dir. Nurit Kedar).