Ajami is an area of Tel Aviv in Israel where Arabs, Palestinians, Jews and Christians live together in a tense atmosphere. Omar, an Israeli Arab, struggles to save his family from a gang of extortionists. He also courts a beautiful Christian girl: Hadir. Malek, an illegal Palestinian worker, tries to collect enough money to pay for his mother's operation. Dando, an Israeli cop, does his utmost to find his missing brother who may have been killed by Palestinians.
Acting
Non-professional cast brings devastating authenticity.
Direction
Co-directors' five-year shoot captures lived-in tension.
Writing
Rashomon structure where perspective is everything.
Director
Scandar Copti
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
First Israeli film nominated for Best Foreign Language Oscar with Arabic as primary language — caused national controversy.
Co-director Copti grew up in Ajami and cast his own neighbors; the 'actors' improvised dialogue based on their actual lives.
IL
