As a young boy, Zvi came to Jaffa, together with his family, from Poland and grew up in a neighbourhood predominantly populated by Bedouins. While playing with the neighbourhood children, he learns Arabic, a circumstance that, after the founding of the State of Israel and the war against the Arab population, propels him to the position of military governor of occupied villages and towns. He becomes part of a bureaucratic apparatus installed as an instrument of power, opening the door to arbitrary power: Arab residents must submit written applications to open a business, travel, or seek medical assistance and doctor's appointments. In the documents, the director finds seemingly arbitrary approvals and rejections of such applications – signed by her grandfather. And then, in the course of her research, she stumbles upon a family secret: the correspondence between her grandmother and her lover.
From interviews with her deceased grandfather, other family members, historians, and contemporary witnesses from the occupied villages, Elpeleg employs an investigative approach to piece together a picture of the past – both of her family and of the State of Israel. And in doing so, reflects on the continuity of the military government and the question as to whether and how control can be relinquished to the enemy of times gone by.
Text: Merlin Webers
Following the screenings on May 9th and 10th there will be a Q&A with director Danel Elpeleg.