Amira

Palestinian 17 year old Amira has only seen her father Nawar through a glass pane. He has been in an Israeli jail all her life, accused of terrorism, and Amira was conceived by smuggling her father’s sperm out of jail. Nawar wants another child, but the new attempt makes buried secrets come to the surface, including new information concerning Amira’s conception. Is Amira who she really thinks she is – and is she actually Palestinian?

Amira had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival last fall, where it received three awards. Egyptian director Mohamed Diab weaves a gripping drama with impressive performances across the board.

Diab is also approaching very complex and sensitive themes in this film. In Palestine, many have responded strongly to the themes and the film’s representation of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Amira was supposed to be Jordan’s Oscar contribution, but was withdrawn from consideration as a result of the controversies surrounding the film.

Diab has himself encouraged a discussion surrounding the film. After the screening of Amira on Friday March 18th we invite to a conversation about the film, and the depiction of Palestinian stories on film in general, in collaboration with The Palestine Committee of Norway.

Atli Bjarnason

This film is part of