Promised Land (2004)

"Promised Land" tells the story of a group of young unwitting Estonian girls smuggled through Egypt to be auctioned off as prostitutes in Israel, and of their initiation into this trade of ... See full summary »

Director:

Amos Gitai

Writers:

Amos Gitai, Marie-Jose Sanselme

Stars:

Rosamund Pike, Diana Bespechni, Hanna Schygulla

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rosamund Pike	...	Rose
Diana Bespechni	...	Diana
Hanna Schygulla	...	Hanna
Anne Parillaud	...	Anne
Alla An	...	Alla
Kristina Likhnyski	...	Kristina
Katya Drabkin	...	Katya
Yussuf Abu-Warda	...	Yussuf
Amos Lavi	...	Hezi
Shalva Ben-Moshe	...	Igor
Craig Bachins	...	Greg
Meital Peretz	...	Meital
Menachem Lang	...	Menahem
Ran Kauchinsky	...	Rani
Peeter Polluveer	...	Peeter

Storyline

"Promised Land" tells the story of a group of young unwitting Estonian girls smuggled through Egypt to be auctioned off as prostitutes in Israel, and of their initiation into this trade of flesh, and finally of the accidental freeing of one girl who most fight for her freedom.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Details

Country:

Israel France

Language:

Arabic Hebrew Russian English German

Release Date:

21 October 2004 (Israel)

Also Known As:

Gelobtes Land

Company Credits

Production Co:

Agav Hafakot, Agav Productions, MP Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Amos Gitai said in an interview that he convinced the cast and crew to literally camp out in the desert where the opening sequences were shot. This began because he was tired of the long daily commute from the location to Tel Aviv, but he believes that the fact that most of them agreed to join him, living in tents without running water for days, added to the gritty realism of these scenes, because the actresses were just as unwashed and uncomfortable as their characters.

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Soundtracks

Peace Upon You Jerusalem
Written by Arvo Part
Performed by Girls Choir

User Reviews

no promises

I liked 'Promised Land' and I am wondering why it got so many bad reviews from critics and why it did not have a fair chance to meet with the public. Other people comments have too much focused on what they perceive as flaws in the logic of the story. These may actually be real, as Amos Gitai is not the best story teller on screen, but this is not where the essence of a film like this needs to be looked for. The subject of the film is human trafficking and none of the several documentary or pseudo-documentary films I have seen lately did a better job in raising the issue in a strong and emotional manner, shouting about the brutality and evil that is happening in the lives of the victims. It is exactly the lack of logic, the absence of any romanticism or fictional elements that brings the issue in a stronger manner towards the viewers. The series of brutal and realistic scenes becomes surrealistic because the reality is exceeding the ugliness of nightmare. The contrast between the ideal Holy Land and the ideal Israel that Amos Gitai may dream for his country and reality is the very contrast that almost all Israelis have to deal with. This film raises a painful issue in the painful manner that it deserves.