Salt of this Sea

Annemarie Jacir

Born to a Palestinian immigrant family in Brooklyn, Soraya returns to the land of her ancestors to reclaim
her grandfather’s money from the bank. When refused cooperation, she decides to rob the bank with a friend.
Salt of this Sea was Palestine’s submission to the Oscars this year.
Born to a Palestinian immigrant family in Brooklyn, Soraya discovers that her grandfather’s life savings have been frozen in a British bank account in Jaffa since he was forced to leave in 1948. Since the bank has opened a new branch in Ramallah, Soraya decides to return to Palestine to reclaim the money. She undertakes this journey sixty years after the forced emigration of her father and grandparents. By doing
this, Soraya is fulfilling a lifelong wish: to return to the land of her ancestors. The reality, however, is uncompromising. She is questioned and humiliated by immigration personnel at the Ben Gurion airport. In the bank, the Palestinian staff treats her as if she is crazy. Soraya refuses to be discouraged, and takes a job in a restaurant in Ramallah. There she meets Emad, a young Palestinian whose wish is the exact opposite
of hers: to leave Palestine for good. They decide to rob the bank together.

Filmmaker Annemarie Jacir grew up in the Middle East. Many of her family members live in the occupied
Palestinian territories. 

Credits

Director
Annemarie Jacir
Producer
Bero Beyer
Year
2008
Country of production
Palestine, Netherlands, The
Type
Fiction
Duration
109 minutes
Spoken language
English
Subtitles
NL
Production company
Augustus Film
World Sales
Pyramide International
Dutch distributor
Moonlight Film Distribution