Opening this year’s 20th annual Toronto Jewish Film Festival, A Bottle In The Gaza Sea makes its way to a theatrical engagement in Toronto on May 11 at AMC Y&D.
The film opened in Quebec at the end of March and did extremely well, earning over $120,000$ at the box office. Filmoption International is wasting no time in getting this stunning film out to a wider audience across Canada.
Tal experiences a terrorist attack at her local Cafe, but refuses to succumb to hatred and blame. She optimistically slips a message of peace in a bottle that she asks her brother to throw into the sea while he is on patrol near Gaza. Eventually, she receives an email response from NaÏm, a teenaged Palestinian who calls himself “Gazaman”. The two develop a virtual friendship through their email exchanges. Based on the novel by Valérie Zenatti, this lovely and hopeful film avoids any easy answers. Featuring a terrific cast that includes Hiam Abbass (Lemon Tree, The Visitor) and Salim Dau(Arab Labor).
A Bottle in the Gaza Sea is the second feature for director Thierry Binisti, who has spent years nurturing his directorial skills in television, where his three-part mini-series, The Blue Bicycle aired over a decade ago, and still remains one of the biggest rating successes for the public channel France 2.