Director of award-winning film Lemon Tree, Eran Riklis to take part in Q&A in Lighthouse cinema
Director Eran Riklis will be present at Light House Cinema, Smithfield, Dublin on Monday November 10th to introduce a special preview screening of his award-winning film Lemon Tree (Etz Limon) at 7pm. The screening of the film will be followed by a q&a session with the director, where questions from the audience will be welcomed. The film won the respected Audience Award at this year’s influential Berlin Film Festival, and will open at Light House Cinema and other venues on December 12th. The film stars Hiam Abbass (from the recently released The Visitor) and Ali Sulliman, both of whom collaborated with the director on his well-received film The Syrian Bride.
The film tells the story of Salma, a Palestinian widow, who has to stand up against her new neighbour, the Israeli Defense Minister, when he moves into his new house opposite her lemon grove, on the green line border between Israel and the West Bank. The Israeli security forces are quick to declare that Salma’s trees pose a threat to the Minister’s safety and issue orders to uproot them. Together with Ziad Daud, her young Palestinian lawyer, Salma goes all the way to the Israeli Supreme Court to try and save her trees. Her struggle raises the interest of Mira Navon, the Defense minister’s wife, who is trapped in her new home and in an unhappy life. Despite their differences and the borders between them the two women develop an invisible bond, while forbidden ties grow stronger between Salma and Ziad. Salma’s legal and personal journey lead her deep into the complex, dark, and sometimes funny chaos of the ongoing struggle in the Middle East, in which all players find themselves alone in their struggle to survive.
Eran Riklis is one of Israel’s leading filmmakers. His films include The Syrian Bride (winner of 18 international awards) and Zohar, the biggest Israeli box-office hit of the 90s. Riklis was born in Jerusalem, raised in the US, Canada and Brazil, and he graduated from the National Film School in England in the early 80s. The director wanted to get “closer to home” in dealing with the situation in the Middle East, and to observe the explosive situation between Israel and the Palestinians. He came across several accounts of Palestinians going to court against the State of Israel, and this film was developed from his research into a real-life incident. Further information on the film can be found at: http://www.lemontreemovie.com/lemontree_en.html
Tickets for this very special event are now on sale from Light House Cinema, www.lighthousecinema.ie, or (01) 879 7601. Light House Cinema is conveniently located beside the Smithfield Luas stop, with car parking available immediately beside the cinema. Light House Cinema is an award-winning venue boasting four stunningly designed cinemas, along with a café bar.