Ashraf Barhoum

Hayat, a 12-year-old strong-willed girl, lives in a poor fishing village governed by dark tradition, in which every family must give away a daughter to the sea creatures who inhabit the waters near by. In turn, the sea creatures are hunted by the men of the village. Saved from this ordeal by her father, Hayat is outcasted by her village and considered a curse. But Hayat never surrenders. When Hayat’s mother gives birth to her new-born brother, Hayat must accept the brutal custom by sacrificing herself to these creatures or find a way to escape.

I Am Ahmad, a 1966 13 min. revelatory short, was originally censored before its stormy release. Fifty years later, top Arab and Jewish alumni of the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel Film School conduct a poignant dialogue about “today’s Ahmad”, contending with questions of the impossible coexistence between Palestinian citizens of Israel and Jews that is rapidly deteriorating. Comprised of six chapters, the feature film is political, activist and fistful, mirroring a torn Israel. Yet, Voice of Ahmad is at times also funny, poetic and sarcastically utopian.