Wajib

Wajib

Annemarie Jacir

»Humans must fight tirelessly to protect their rights and limited resources, but they are an admirable species, humans, full of humour and life. For me, Nazareth is the city of survivors.«
– Annemarie Jacir

In Palestine, wajib is the custom of personally delivering invitations to the guests at one’s child’s wedding. Architect Shadi is not exactly enthusiastic about returning to his hometown of Nazareth for this tradition after years of living in Rome. But sister Amal is getting married and his father Abu Shadi, a divorced teacher in his mid-sixties, will hear of nothing else. On a sunny morning, Shadi and Abu Shadi drive back and forth across Nazareth in an old Volvo and deliver the invitations. They immerse themselves in the life of the Israeli city that has the largest community of Arab-Israelis with Muslim and Christian roots. And they hand out invitations to Muslims, Christians and atheists – when it comes to Jews, there are arguments. During the journey, conflicts erupt between the father and son (played by real-life father and son Saleh and Mohammad Bakri) on a political, social and personal level. Little digs, ambiguous remarks and jokes fuel this urban road movie. Shadi can’t accept that his father makes compromises, and Abu Shadi doesn’t understand why his son is not looking for a bride. By exploring the father-son relationship, the film sensitively reflects the relationship between Israel and Palestine. Often, the problems are only touched upon covertly, in subtext or side glances.

Director / Script

Annemarie Jacir

Cinematography

Antoine Heberle

Editing

Jacques Comets

Sound Design

Carlos Garcia

Cast

Mohammad Bakri, Saleh Bakri

Production

Philistine Films, Ossama Bawardi

Contact

Pyramide International, mec film

Porträt der Regisseurin Annemarie Jacir.

Annemarie Jacir

Born in Bethlehem in 1975, Annemarie Jacir grew up in Saudi Arabia, completing her education in the US. The co-founder of Philistine Films, which produces films from the Arab world and Iran, is regarded as a representative of the Arab New Wave. Her film When I Saw You was the Palestinian entry for the 2013 Foreign Language Oscar. Her poems and short stories have been published in literary magazines and her films have been screened and won awards at numerous festivals.


Films by Annemarie Jacir
When I Saw You 2013 | Salt of this Sea 2008 | A Few Crumbs for the Birds (Short) 2005 |  Like Twenty Impossibles (Short) 2003 | The Satellite Shooters (Short) 2001 | A Post Oslo History (Short) 1999