Cinema Sabaya

In this heartfelt ode to the unifying power of art, nine women register for a video workshop hoping to learn basic filmmaking techniques from young director Rona. As the strangers, both Arab and Jewish, share the raw footage they shoot each week with their classmates, they are confronted not only by the vast differences in their circumstances but also by striking points of connection. Growing closer, the students develop a strong, supportive community, even as they begin to grow suspicious of Rona’s motives.

Drawn from filmmaker Orit Fokus Rotem’s experiences leading similar workshops in the Israeli towns of Acre and Givat Haviva, Cinema Sabaya is an unvarnished and genuinely engaging exploration of the joy of learning to see and to truly being seen.