Life is Beautiful: Al Haya Helwa

Mohamed Jabaly is in involuntary exile in Tromsø. Life is Beautiful is an award-winning documentary about Jabaly's life in Norway as he tries to maintain contact with friends and family in the Gaza Strip.

Film and Conversation at the Nobel Peace Center

After the screening of LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL at Vika Cinema, on Saturday, April 13, at 16:15, there will be a discussion at the Nobel Peace Center starting at 18:30.

• Tickets for film and conversation can be purchased here
• Tickets only for the film screening can be purchased here

Read more about the event «This was supposed to be a premiere party» here

About the film

After participating in an exchange program in Tromsø, Jabaly faced challenges with his Palestinian passport, which wasn't recognized by Norwegian authorities. Lacking formal film education, his work visa was denied. During this time, his documentary Ambulance was completed and premiered at IDFA in the Netherlands, the world's largest documentary film festival.

Life is Beautiful: Al Haya Helwa poignantly depicts the Palestinians' place in the world. Since its premiere at IDFA, there have been significant developments in the region, including Israel's heavy bombing of Gaza and the mass killing of civilians, also in the West Bank. The International Court of Justice in The Hague has initiated an investigation into potential genocide by Israel against Palestinians. Additionally, several Western countries withdrew funding from UNRWA, the agency supporting Palestinian refugees.

Jabaly's documentary, capturing his life in limbo in Tromsø, is beautifully portrayed in this film, which serves as a video diary. He spends time with friends in Norway, contrasting sharply with the harrowing messages and images from his homeland. Jabaly won the best director award at IDFA 2023 for the film, which also opened the Tromsø Film Festival in January.

Red.

Film and Conversation at the Nobel Peace Center

After the screening of LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL at Vika Cinema, on Saturday, April 13, at 16:15, there will be a discussion at the Nobel Peace Center starting at 18:30.

• Tickets for film and conversation can be purchased here
• Tickets only for the film screening can be purchased here

Read more about the event «This was supposed to be a premiere party» here

Meet director Mohamed Jabaly

Director Mohamed Jabaly will be present at the following screening during the festival:

• Film and conversation: This was supposed to be a premiere party – Saturday, April 13, at 16.15 (Vika) and the Nobel Peace Center (18.30). Jabaly will participate in a conversation at the Nobel Peace Center after the film screening at Vika Kino.

Director

Mohamed Jabaly (b.1989) is a Palestinian filmmaker who gained recognition for his 2016 documentary Ambulance. In 2023, he released Life is Beautiful, a personal account of his unexpected seven-year stay in Norway due to border closures in Gaza. The film won the Best Director award at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).

This film is part of