Sufat Chol

A wedding in a Bedouin village in the desert of southern Israel. Woman and men celebrate and dance separately whilst the bride sits alone at the edge of the exuberant gathering. Hostess Jalila is also overwhelmed and covers up her emotions. It is the wedding of her husband Sulimann; he is taking a younger woman as his second wife. On top of that, her oldest daughter, the self-confident Layla, is also causing her concern: she has fallen for a boy at her university. Aware that her husband will not allow this relationship, Jalila forbids Layla from seeing the boy again. But when Sulimann reacts even more harshly, she takes up her daughter’s cause.
In her directorial debut, Elite Zexer follows two women who, in their own way, try to break with outdated traditions. Whilst Jalila initially adopts a quiet approach, her daughter chooses instead to go on the offensive. When this threatens to tear apart the family, it becomes clear that Layla’s temperament, strength and self-assurance are not enough to overcome the rigid social structures. Nonetheless, the women standing together in solidarity could pave the way for more freedom – at least for the next generation.