Junction 48 Directed
by
Udi Aloni ISRAEL / 2016 / 96 minutes
In Arabic and Hebrew with subtitles
Screening
Times and Venues:
Q&A Attendees *subject to change: Oren Moverman, Lawrence Inglee
SYNOPSIS:
It takes an astute writer like Oren Moverman and an artful director like Udi Aloni to produce an Israeli-Palestinian story that transcends politics, encouraging us to put aside preconceptions and see the humanity behind it.
Kareem (real life Palestinian hip-hop artist Tamer Nafar) is a young Palestinian from an Arab ghetto outside Tel Aviv who aspires to become the first Arab-Israeli rapper. For Kareem, his buddies and girlfriend Manar, music verbalizes their lives. "My songs aren't political, they just describe the place I come from. "But politics are embedded in their everyday existence in a crime-ridden, conservative community where gender expectations, police brutality, government prohibitions, and family are inescapable.
Performing in a Jewish club, among Israeli rappers they idolize, is a dream for these musicians. But when Manara's lyrics incite an attack from a violent nationalistic group, reality intercedes. Unfolding through the filter of Kareem's experience, "Junction 48" is about people trying to function in a confused world without losing their soul, trying to find solace creating music. --Monique Ray
BIO: Udi Aloni is an Israeli and American director and writer whose work frequently explores the interrelationships between art, theory and activism. His films have been presented in the Berlinale and other major film festivals. His past awards include the Berlinale's CINEMA Fairbindet Prize. Aloni's visual art has been presented in leading museums and galleries, including the Metropolitan in New York and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. His most recent book is "What Does a Jew Want?: On Binationalism and Other Specters" (Columbia University Press, 2011). His recent stage work was "Anti-Oedipus" at the Schillertag Mannheim 2015. Aloni has mentored young actors from one of the harshest refugee camps in Palestine, helping them reach the world stage.
The Woodstock Film Festival is a not-for-profit, 501c3 organization with a mission to present an
annual program and year-round schedule of film, music,
and art-related activities that promote artists, culture,
inspired learning, and diversity. The Hudson Valley Film
Commission promotes sustainable economic development
by attracting and supporting film, video and media production.
