Yadon ilaheyya (2002)

Director:

Elia Suleiman

Writer:

Elia Suleiman (writer)

Release Date:

2 October 2002 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War | Comedy

Plot:

Separated by a checkpoint, Palestinian lovers from Jerusalem and Ramallah arrange clandestine meetings.

Plot Keywords:

Checkpoint | Jerusalem | Balloon | Mail | Hospital

Awards:

6 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Elia Suleiman	...	E.S.
Manal Khader	...	Woman
George Ibrahim	...	Santa Clause
Amer Daher	...	Auni
Jamel Daher	...	Jamal
Lufuf Nuweiser	...	Neighbor with American van
Read Masarweh	...	Abu Basil
Bassem Loulou	...	Abu Amer
Salvia Nakkara	...	Adia
Naaman Jarjoura	...	Uncle
Rama Nashashibi	...	Um Elias
Saiman Natour	...	Friend
Fairos Hakim	...	Bus stop shopkeeper
Khalil Jarjoura	...	Number 6 man
Hamada Shamout	...	Basil
Nazira Suleiman	...	Mother
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Azi Adadi	...	Soldier 9
Haim Adri	...	Walkie Talkie Voice
Bsoul Ahmas	...	Policeman 3
Zahl Aleimi	...	Barbecue man
Shmulik Altal	...	Soldier 6
Igal Arobas	...	Tax officer 2
Majd Atiyem	...	Kid Santa Claus
Ahmad Ayadi	...	Kid Santa Claus
Samih Bathish	...	Municipal worker
David Belle	...	Marksman1
Vincent Bersouley	...	Marksman 5
Emma Boltanski	...	The french tourist
Arik Bonfis	...	Officier
Daniel Bronfman	...	Soldier 1
Omil Civon	...	Soldier 5
Daher Daher	...	Identical patient 1
Nayef Fahoum Daher	...	E.S.'s Father
Emil Daniel	...	Manshooting snake
Zahi Daniel	...	Snake beater #2
Ziad Daniel	...	Snake beater #1
Rashad Deek	...	Nurse 4
Yoval Edan	...	Policeman with van
Ramzi El Sheik Kasem	...	Molotov cocktail 2
Khalid Fahoum	...	Kid Santa Claus
Rana Hakim	...	Nurse 3
Rami Hakon	...	Soldier 8
Isal Hassidim	...	Soldier 2
Abu Junia	...	Vendor
Mahmoud Kadah	...	Policeman 2
Dishara Katelo	...	Kid Santa Claus
Samor Katelo	...	Kid Santa Claus
George Khleifi	...	Jerusalem Neighbor
Elias Khoury	...	Doctor
Avi Kleinberger	...	Trainer & Tax Collector
Sana Lahab	...	Nurse 1
Alox Lawrence	...	Settler in car
Rachol Loah	...	Walkie Talkie Voice
Ju'den Moaz	...	Prisonier
Fianas Moukabaa	...	Kid Santa Claus
Alfred Naddaf	...	Patient whit woomen leg
Monacho Noi	...	Soldier
Menashe Noy	...	Soldier on Checkpoint
Marwan Okal	...	Tax officer 1
Sebastian Perez	...	Marksman 2
Michel Piccoli	...	Santa Claus Breathing (voice)
Fred Renard	...	Marksman 3
Emil Rock	...	Patient whit pyjama
Roni Rock	...	Santa Claus patient
Bakor Saleh	...	Snake beater #3
Imad Samara	...	Molotov cocktail 1
Olivier Schneider	...	Marksman 4
Denis Shapoznikov	...	Soldier 4
Kamal Sruji	...	Engineer 2
Samir Sruji	...	Engineer 1
Juna Suleiman	...	Nurse smoking
Rasha Suleiman	...	Nurse 2
Soner Suleiman	...	Policeman 1
Wajdi Tallouzi	...	Kid Santa Claus
Tuvia Twig	...	Soldier 7
Ruba Warwar	...	Sweetwart
Lual Zaher	...	Kid Santa Claus
Ronin Zindenfeld	...	Soldier 3

Directed by
Elia Suleiman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Elia Suleiman		writer

Produced by
Humbert Balsan	....	producer
Avi Kleinberger	....	line producer
Joachim Ortmanns	....	co-producer
Babette Schröder	....	associate producer
Elia Suleiman	....	co-producer

Cinematography by
Marc-André Batigne

Film Editing by
Véronique Lange

Casting by
Galit Rosenstain

Production Design by
Miguel Markin
Denis Renault

Art Direction by
Miguel Markin
Denis Renault
Samir Srouji

Costume Design by
Eve-Marie Arnault		(as Eve-Marie Arnault)

Makeup Department
Orly Ronen	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Eric Vedrine	....	unit manager: Marseilles

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Basil Khalil	....	second assistant director
Shabtai Yitzhak	....	first assistant director

Sound Department
Selim Azzazi	....	sound effects editor
Hervé Guyader	....	sound editor
Laurent Lafran	....	sound recordist
Nicolas Lefebvre	....	dialogue editor
Jean Mallet	....	sound effects editor
Johann Nallet	....	sound recordist
Williams Schmit	....	sound
Bruno Tarrière	....	sound re-recording mixer
Eric Tisserand	....	sound
Jean-Alexandre Villemer	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Manfred Büttner	....	visual effects producer
Erich Eder	....	digital compositor
Fabien Girodot	....	visual effects supervisor
Dirk Matzkuhn	....	digital compositor
Robert Pinnow	....	visual effects coordinator
Thomas Schäfer	....	CGI artist
Caterina Schiffers	....	digital compositor: postproduction, TVT
Florian Schuck	....	digital compositor
Heiko Schweizer	....	digital compositor
Markus Degen	....	digital effects artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Olivier Schneider	....	stunts
Frédéric Vallet	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Yigal Arobus	....	grip
Ehab Assal	....	assistant camera
Ehab Assal	....	camera operator
Ehab Assal	....	focus puller
Adi Borkin	....	best boy
Vincent Buron	....	first assistant camera
Frédéric Mainson	....	assistant camera
Guy Ne'eman	....	key grip
Ferencz Radnai	....	gaffer

Other crew
Grace Benoish	....	script supervisor
Myriam Lainey	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen
• Gimages
• Lichtblick Film- und Fernsehproduktion (II)
• Ness Communication & Productions Ltd.
• Ognon Pictures
• Soread-2M
• arte France Cinéma

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (for)
• Filmmuseum Distributie (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Slovenska Kinoteka (2003) (Slovenia) (theatrical)
• trigon-film (2002) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (video)
• Alamode Film (Germany)
• Alfa Films (Argentina)
• Arab Film Distribution (1997) (USA) (video)
• Artificial Eye (UK) (subtitled)
• Avatar Films (2003) (USA) (subtitled)
• Bowjapan
• Koch Lorber Films (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Orlando Films (Israel)
• Pyramide Distribution (France)
• Warner Bros. (Italy)
• trigon-film (2004) (Switzerland) (DVD)

Special Effects

• tvt. postproduction

Also Known As:

Chronicle of Love and Pain
D.I.
Divine Intervention
Göttliche Intervention - Eine Chronik von Liebe und Schmerz (Germany)
Intervention divine (France)

Runtime:

92 min | France:100 min (Cannes Film Festival)

Country:

France | Morocco | Germany | Palestine

Language:

Arabic | Hebrew | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Denmark:7 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

East Jerusalem, Palestine

Company:

Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen

Trivia:

The music used in the opening credit sequence is from an Arabic song by Mohammed Abdulwahab from the 1950s called "Me, suffering, and your love" which are what the majority of the film is about.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: At the border, when several cars are told to turn around, the camera is reflected in the side of the cars for several seconds.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Humbert Balsan, producteur rebelle (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Tango El Amal

The only way to treat this subject is laughing at it!!

The problem in the Middle East is very complex and not black & white. To make a film about the ongoing war between two tribes who have the same forefathers and have to share a piece of land is not easy!! The only way, in my opinion, to make a film about it, is to make it light and transparent. And that is exactly what Elia Suleiman does. Absurd scenes (the Palestinian beauty who turns into a Ninja and destroy the acrobatic Israeli marksmen), but also very subtil stories about Palestinians who make life miserable for each other in the Occupied terretories. He uses several biblical symbols (eating eggs, killing a snake) and uses repetition to show how life gets by when you're living like subhumans. My cup of tea!!