Dancing Arabs

A young Palestinian outsider struggles to find his place in Israeli society, in the coming-of-age drama <strong>DANCING ARABS</strong>, by acclaimed veteran filmmaker Eran Riklis (<em>The Syrian Bride</em>).

A whip-smart but introverted teenager from an Arab village, Eyad Barhum (Tawfeek Barhum), earns a place in Jerusalem's most prestigious boarding school—the first and only Arab to be accepted. Initially isolated and lonely in his new surroundings, he slowly overcomes social, cultural and language barriers with the help of his peers. The compassion of a Jewish girl, Naomi (Danielle Kitzis), blossoms into a forbidden romance across religious divides. Meantime, Eyad also finds kinship with Yonatan (Michael Moshonov), a classmate with muscular dystrophy, their relationship lending strength to the wheelchair-bound boy's mother Edna (Yael Abecassis), a single parent. As heartbreak, personal tragedy and sociopolitical strife intrude on his adolescent idyll, Eyad soon realizes that he must make a life-changing compromise of identity in order to be accepted.

Arab-Israeli journalist Sayed Kashua's semiautobiographical screenplay is a plea for understanding between both sides of an intractable political divide. Nominated for four Israeli Academy Awards, including Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.