Shalom Abu Bassem
Overview
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by Nissim Mossek
Nissim Mossek
Nissim Mossek is an Israeli documentary director, writer and producer for film and television. Since 1986, Nissim Mossek has been the Director and Editor for . Regarded as a Director with a social conscience, Mossek won the Landau Award as the Best Director of 2004 for documentary film...
about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
that follows a New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Jewish settler and an Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
hummus
Hummus
Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6. The chickpeas make it a good source of protein and dietary fiber; the tahini consists mostly of sesame seeds, which are an excellent source of the amino acid methionine, complementing the proteins in the...
vendor that are forced to live as neighbors in the heart of Jerusalem. The documentary spans a nearly twenty-year period, beginning before the First Intifada
First Intifada
The First Intifada was a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The uprising began in the Jabalia refugee camp and quickly spread throughout Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem....
, to demonstrate how the nation's politics affect their neighborly relations. The film won Best Editing at the Haifa International Film Festival
Haifa International Film Festival
The Haifa International Film Festival is an annual film festival that takes place every fall, during the week-long holiday of Sukkot, in Haifa, Israel. The festival was inaugurated in 1983, and was the first of its kind in Israel...
.
“They say a good neighbor is better than a distant brother,” Abu Bassem says, “If Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
was a good neighbor, I'd be happy to have him as a neighbor.”
With a matter-of-fact air and straightforward filming, Shalom Abu Bassem evaluates the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on an intimate, human scale, where a simple hello means a great deal.