The Sea

Ha’yam

This multi award winning film from Director Shai Carmeli-Pollak depicts life in Israel’s West Bank from the unfiltered perspective of a young Palestinian boy. Through this lens the viewer has an opportunity to suspend any preconceived political opinions and experience a universal journey with an empathetic heart and mind.

Khaled, a 12-year-old boy from a Palestinian village, gets the chance to see the sea for the first time in his life, thanks to a school bus trip. When their bus reaches a checkpoint, his permit is deemed invalid and he’s escorted off the bus. Deeply disappointed, Khaled sets out to visit the sea on his own, however he doesn’t know the way and he doesn’t speak Hebrew. When his father Ribhi, an undocumented labourer working in Israel, learns what his son has done and that he is missing, Ribhi chooses to leave his job to search for Khaled, risking arrest and the loss of his livelihood.

SPONSORED BY:
Audrey Mehler and David Paperny

Festivals and Awards

• Winner: Best Film, Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2025
• Winner Best Screenplay (Shai Carmeli-Pollack), Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2025
• Winner: Best Actor (Muhammed Gazawi), Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2025
• Winner: Best Supporting Actor (Khalifa Natour), Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2025
• Winner: Best Original Score, Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2025
• Winner: Emerging Filmmaker Jury Prize, Shai Carmeli-Pollack, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, 2026
• Winner: Critics Jury Prize, Best Film, Miami Jewish Film Festival, 2026