ALILA may be an eye-opener for Americans who take large living spaces for granted. In this film, about a dozen main characters float in and out of one another’s lives in the cramped space of an apartment building Tel Aviv. However, to call their living quarters an apartment building is to grossly exaggerate how limited their apartments and, thereby, their lives really are. Arabs, Israelis, and illegal foreign immigrants (Chinese and Filipino) vie for privacy. It’s the whole Mideast written in small. Quick sex, recalcitrant sons, cheating husbands, a man with only his dog for company—all are presented under the ominous threat of some act of terror. A fascinating eye-opener by Israel’s arguably most important contemporary filmmaker. ~ Nick Salerno

Principal Cast: Yael Abecassis, Uri Klauzner, Hanna Laslo, Ronit Elkabetz, Amos Lavie, Lupo Berkowitch, Liron Levo, Yosef Carmon, Amit Mestechkin, Lyn Shiao Zamir

Screenwriters: Amos Gitai and Marie-José Sanselme
Producers: Amos Gitai and Michael Tapuach
Director of Photography: Renato Berta
Editor: Kobi Netanel and Monica Coleman

Official Website: http://www.kino.com/alila/

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