A small Egyptian police band travels to Israel to play at the inaugural ceremony of an Arab arts center, only to find themselves stuck in the wrong town.
Acting
Ronit Elkabetz's Dina — magnetic, wounded, never raises her voice.
Direction
Kolirin's patience lets silence ache harder than dialogue ever could.
Score
The band's actual playing — tender, amateur, perfect.
Director
Eran Kolirin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The film was briefly Israel's Oscar submission then disqualified for 'too much English' — a ridiculous irony given it's about communication failures.
The Arab-Israeli conflict exists entirely off-screen; Kolirin called it 'a film about what didn't happen between people who didn't meet.' The musical adaptation ironically made it bigger and louder.
IL
