In Between Written & directed by Maysaloun Hamoud Israel/France 2016. 101 min. (15) Mouna Hawa, Sana Jammelieh, Shaden Kanboura Maysaloun Hamoud’s first feature looks at social politics and change through the intimate lens of daily life. On the surface, the three young Palestinian women sharing an apartment in the Yemenite section of Tel Aviv have little in common. But what divides them is less significant than what unites: Each, in her own way, is struggling to free herself from stifling conventions and constraints. Born in Hungary to Palestinian parents and now based in Jaffa, Hamound is no stranger to the cost and opportunity of living "in between”: she was the only Palestinian girl at her film school in Tel Aviv. However, her film is "not just about Palestinian or Arab women. I know for sure all the situations and dilemmas are happening all over the world. Because I am a Palestinian, I created from my point of view. When you just do your own thing in a very particular way, you can get the universal, too.” (MH in Vogue interview) Lightened by humour and tinged with darkness, In Between traces the protagonists’ energy and hopes, conflicts and frustrations, while the soundtrack of Arab-influenced techno and pop music adds aural expression to the theme of intercultural tensions. It’s hard not to wish that instead of a single feature film, Ms. Hamoud had made a television season about Laila, Salma and Nur, so that the audience’s curiosity about them could have been fully satisfied and just so we could hang out with them more regularly. A.O. Scott, The New York Times Israeli Film Academy: 7 awards and 5 nominations; Haifa International Film Festival: 2 awards. Numerous awards at the International Film Festivals of Istanbul, Odessa, San Sebastián and Toronto __________________________________________________________________________ Tear between the dotted lines below to rate the film (5* = top score) & hand in. Please write any comments on the back of this slip. .