3000 Layla (2015)

A young Palestinian schoolteacher gives birth to her son in an Israeli prison where she fights to protect him, survive and maintain hope.

Director:

Mai Masri

Writer:

Mai Masri

Stars:

Maisa Abd Elhadi, Nadira Omran, Rakeen Saad

4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maisa Abd Elhadi	...	Layal Asfour
Nadira Omran	...	Sanaa
Rakeen Saad	...	Jamileh
Raida Adon	...	Shulamit
Abeer Zeibak Haddad	...	Hava
Anaheed Fayyad	...	Rihan
Haifa Al-Agha	...	Im Ali
Khitam Edelbi	...	Ze'eva
Hana Chamoun	...	Fidaa
Izabel Ramadan	...	Ruti
Laura Hawa	...	Rachel
Karim Saleh	...	Ayman
Ahmad Al Omari	...	Farid Asfour
Yussuf Abu-Warda	...	Military Judge
Eman Hayel	...	Layal's mother

Storyline

Layal, a young newlywed Palestinian schoolteacher is arrested after being falsely accused and sentenced to 8 years of prison. She is transferred to a high security Israeli women's prison where she encounters a terrifying world in which Palestinian political prisoners are incarcerated with Israeli criminal inmates. When she discovers she is pregnant, the prison director pressures her to abort the baby and spy on the Palestinian inmates. However, resilient and still in chains, she gives birth to a baby boy. Through her struggle to raise her son behind bars, and her relationship with the other prisoners, she manages to find a sense of hope and a meaning to her life. Prison conditions deteriorate and the Palestinian prisoners decide to strike. The prison director warns her against joining the rebellion and threatens to take her son away. In a moment of truth, Layal is forced to make a choice that will forever change her life.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | palestinian | baby | strike | pregnant | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Palestine France Jordan Lebanon Qatar United Arab Emirates

Language:

Arabic Hebrew

Release Date:

4 January 2017 (France)

Also Known As:

3000 Nights

Filming Locations:

Jordan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, CNC Aide aux cinémas du monde - Institut Français, Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mai Masri's directorial film debut.

User Reviews

Poignant film about justice denied.

The Palestinian film 3000 Layla was shown in the U.S. with the translated title, 3000 Nights (2015). It was written and directed by Mai Masri.

The movie stars the wonderful actor Maisa Abd Elhadi as Layal, a young Palestinian teacher who is arrested, "tried," and convicted of a crime she didn't commit. In fact, there's not any real evidence that any crime was committed at all. (Layal is tried by an Israeli military court, where the conviction rate is 99%, so it's not really a trial.)

She is sent to prison for eight years (3000 nights). When she learns that she is pregnant, no mercy is shown to her. In fact, all four of her limbs are chained when it's time to deliver the child. The child, Nour, is a source of comfort to Layal and her cellmates, but there's very little comfort to be found elsewhere in the prison. The prison guards are brutal, as are the Israeli inmates of the jail. The Palestinians in the jail are political prisoners, but the Israeli prisoners are true criminals. Sadly, instead of making common cause with the Palestinian prisoners, the Israeli prisoners join the guards in harassing them.

This movie has the sense of a documentary about it, but it's not the story of any one woman. It's a composite of the many horrors endured by Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails. The movie was filmed in a abandoned prison in Jordan, so it's a real prison, not a studio set.

The acting in this film is extraordinary. The actors' portrayal of strong, determined women who have very few options is exceptional. Maisa Abd Elhadi is a great actor, and I would love to see more of her films. (She has appeared in over a dozen feature films and TV series.)

We saw this film at the excellent Little Theatre in Rochester, New York. It was shown as part of Rochester's Fifth Annual Witness Palestine Film Festival. The organizers arranged to bring Hana Chamoun to Rochester to discuss the movie. Hana Chamoun has a supporting role as Fidaa, a Palestinian prisoner whose sister is in jail with her. She told us that the filming in a real jail was harrowing, because the atmosphere of captivity surrounded them. She herself became so emotional about one scene in the movie that she was psychologically shaken by a sense that the reality of her life was blurring with the reality of the film.

This movie will work well on a small screen. However, it hasn't been officially released in the U.S., and there's no DVD available. I hate to review a movie and call it a must-see film if you can't see it! However, if it's eventually released in the U.S., be sure to find it and watch it. You'll be saddened, but not disappointed.