Sand Storm (2016)

When their entire lives shatter, two Bedouin women struggle to change the unchangeable rules, each in her own individual way.

Director:

Elite Zexer

Writer:

Elite Zexer (screenplay)

Stars:

Lamis Ammar, Ruba Blal, Hitham Omari

15 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Lamis Ammar	...	Layla
Ruba Blal	...	Jalila (as Ruba Blal-Asfour)
Hitham Omari	...	Suliman (as Haitham Omari)
Khadija Al Akel	...	Tasnim (as Khadija Alakel)
Jalal Masarwa	...	Anwar
Elham Araf	...	(as Elham Arraf)
Shaden Kanboura	...	Alakel
May Azliah
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Omar El Nasasreh	...	Munir

Storyline

Desert noon in a Bedouin village in Southern Israel. Jalila is hosting an awkward celebration - the marriage of her husband to a second, much younger wife - while trying to conceal the insult that boils inside her. Her daughter Layla is preoccupied with a different matter. Her secret, strictly forbidden, love affair with Anuar was just unveiled by her mother. Jalila believes that the world is harsh and cruel, and the only way to win - is to keep your mouth shut, your head as high as possible without raising too much attention, and struggle from inside the limits of the traditional world surrounding you. Layla believes that there are no limits to the world surrounding her. Everything can be hers if she only wished hard enough. But, as the story unfolds, they each fail in her individual battle. Their whole family falls apart and everything they believe in shatters. Now, the two women are forced to understand that, if they wish to survive, they will have to start seeing the world from ...

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Plot Keywords:

israel | patriarchal society | israeli arab | bedouin | marriage | 

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Taglines:

Sacrificing your freedom for the benefit of the family.

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

French visa # 145760.

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Soundtracks

Arabic Lounge
Composed by Masuo Okumura
Courtesy of Groover-Music

User Reviews

A must watch for film about female struggle in a man's world.

The film follows the struggle of a young Bedouin girl and her will to be free of old traditions that try to keep her caged in a man's world. The main plot follows Jalila (Ruba Blal-Asfour), the first wife of a man that is trapped under the pressure of having a new young wife join the clan. Her daughter, Layla (Lamis Ammar), has a secret lover at school, and Jalila must decide if she is part of the mechanism that will trap her daughter too or going to fight for the next generation to have more than she could ever dream of. The brave directing and storytelling brings to the screen a complex story, exhibiting female struggles from a very specific perspective yet in a very universal way. It is not by chance that the film has had such a successful festival circuit.

Details

Official Sites:

2-Team Productions [Israel]

Country:

Israel Germany France

Language:

Arabic

Release Date:

15 September 2016 (Israel)

Also Known As:

Sand Storm

Filming Locations:

Negev Desert, Israel

Box Office

Budget:

ILS3,850,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,849, 2 October 2016

Gross USA:

$86,800

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$414,698

Company Credits

Production Co:

2-Team Productions, Gesher Multicultural Film Fund, Israel Film Council

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1