Feature Narrative
TOTAL BUDGET
US $618,260
CONFIRMED FINANCING
US $78,260
CONTACT
may.odeh@gmail.com
A Palestinian trapped on the other side of the wall tries to reach the hospital for his son. A distance of 200 meters becomes a 200 kilometers journey.
Mustafa and his wife Salwa come from two Palestinian villages 200 meters apart, that are now separated by the wall. A construction worker who often gets permits to work in Israel, he lives on one side while his wife and children live on the other, a situation that starts to affect an otherwise happy marriage.
But Mustafa does what he can: Every night he says goodnight to his children by flashing the light on his balcony and watches them do the same. The story begins when Mustafa gets a phone call from his wife: their son has been hit by a car.
Mustafa rushes to the checkpoint, but there is a problem with his fingerprints. Stressed and sweating, he tries again and again but the machine continues to deny him access, and his permit paper ends up being torn apart. When Mustafa calls Salwa to tell her what happened she doesn’t seem to believe him, which puts him into further distress. This is when he decides to contact a smuggler.
Mustafa reaches the smuggler’s car where he meets other characters who also want to cross the wall for different reasons, including a foreigner: Anne, a German student filmmaker who is making a film about Kifah, one of the passengers trying to attend his cousin’s wedding.
After a rollercoaster of events, Mustafa finally makes it to the hospital. Everything goes back to normal after that point, and again we see Mustafa on his balcony, switching the light on and off, while a far light in the horizon blinks in response.
I carry lots of memories that I no longer have access to, or perhaps fear to dwell back on. Oppression does alienate you, especially when you start adapting to it. A forced separation aches a lot. 200 Meters is my story and the story of thousands of Palestinians. I believe in the power of cinema and how it can touch our lives in magical ways, and I need to tell this story.
Images of the wall, checkpoints and soldiers are probably what comes to mind when Palestine is mentioned. Although these images will be in the film as well, the focus will be on what such a separation does to us as human beings, shedding more light on the invisible barriers that are created as a result of the physical wall.
Here in Palestine we got used to adjust to endlessly changing situations, do as told and camouflage our feelings. But this should no longer be acceptable. Freedom of movement is a very basic human right yet it seems to be a thing of fantasy in such a brutal reality.
The main character in this film, Mustafa, has followed the rules and endured humuliation his whole life in order to secure a small chance to be with his family. Yet when those same rules put his family and fatherhood at stake, will he continue to obey them?
May Odeh is a director and producer known for Searching for Napoleon (2006), Diaries (2011), Izriqaq (2013), Roshima (2014), and Drawing for Better Dreams (2015). She has worked on the production and distribution of many Palestinian fiction films and currently has a production company based in Ramallah, Palestine. Odeh has a Master›s degree in film and production from Lillehammer University College in Norway.
ODEH Films is an independent film production and distribution company created in 2011 in Ramallah, Palestine. ODEH Films’ main focus is producing auteur-driven creative documentaries and narrative features, in addition to providing production services for filming in Palestine.