AIFF

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The Pianist From Ramallah

Avida Livny

60 min | 2020 | Israel | US Premiere

Four years in the life of Muhammad "Misha" Alsheikh, a talented teenage pianist from Ramallah, who is the son of a Palestinian father and a mother who came from Russia. It takes Muhammad 3 hours to get from his house to a piano lesson with Emma, his Jewish-Israeli teacher who also came from Russia and now lives in Jerusalem, but his dream is bigger than borders. Between checkpoints, auditions and his father's will that he will become a doctor, he tries to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional pianist - and also stay happy.

Official Selections: UNAFF Int’l Doc FF, Jerusalem FF.


THE LETTER ROOM

Elvira Lind

30 min | 2020 | US | New England Premiere

Oscar nominated, THE LETTER ROOM is a story of an empathetic corrections officer who gets transferred to the prison's letter room, where he finds escape in the deeply personal letters written to an inmate on death row.

Official Selection: Premiered at Tribeca FF - NYC