‘Conversation With The Sea’ Trailer: Muayad Alayan Explores Everyday Pressures For Palestinians In Jerusalem – TIFF

EXCLUSIVE: Palestinian director Muayad Alayan’s Jerusalem-set drama Conversation with the Sea makes its North American premiere in Toronto on Wednesday, following its Venice debut, and Deadline can unveil the trailer.

Kamel El Basha, who won Venice’s Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his performance in The Insult in 2017, plays a 60-year-old Palestinian man, who is ordered by an Israeli court to pay a large social security debt allegedly owed by his son even though he drowned in the Red Sea years previously.

When he sets out to secure proof of his son’s death to present it to the Israeli authorities and clear the debt, he discovers there is no official record of his death.

His quest to get to the bottom of the situation takes the spectator on a journey across Jerusalem, giving insight into the Palestinian experience of living in the city through his encounter with Israeli bureaucrats, soldiers and armed settlers against a backdrop of home evictions and fear.

Jerusalem-born director Alayan’s previous features span directorial debut Love, Theft and Other Entanglements as well as The Reports on Sarah and Saleem and A House in Jerusalem.

Alongside directing, he has also worked worked extensively with youth and community centres and non-governmental organisations on projects promoting cinema culture and cinema infrastructure in Palestine.

The Palestinian, Netherlands, Saudi Arabian, Qatari coproduction is lead produced by Muayad and Rami Alayan’s Palcine Productions in co-production with KeyFilm, the Red Sea Fund and Metafora Production and with the support of Netherlands Film Fund, Hubert Bals Film Fund, the Doha Film Institute and Al Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art.