THE SEA EL BAH’AR SHAI CARMELI-POLLAK

  • ISRAEL

    • /

  • ARABIC, HEBREW

    • /

  • 2025

    • /

  • 93 mins

Khaled, a Palestinian boy, is stopped at a military checkpoint on a school trip to the sea when his permit is declared invalid. Forced to return home while his classmates continue, he sets out alone to reach the sea. When his father, Ribhi, learns of this, he leaves work to search for him, risking arrest due to his lack of a permit to remain in Israel.

Producer(s) or Production Company :

Baher Agbariya

Screenplay :

Shai Carmeli Pollak

Director of Photography :

Shai Goldman

Editor :

Yosef Grunfeld

Music :

Avi Belleli

Sound :

Nati Zeidenstadt

Cast :

Khalifa Natour, Mohamed Ghazawi, Marlene Bajali, Hila Surjon

Awards - Winner :

Jerusalem FF (Best Israeli Feature: Honorable Mention, Best Original Score, Best Ensemble Award), Mar del Plata IFF (International Competition)

Awards - Nominations | Screened | Official Selection :

Tallinn Black Nights FF (Official Screening), Israeli Academy Awards (Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography),

Shai Carmeli-Pollak (b.1968) is an Israeli filmmaker whose work explores Palestinian–Israeli realities through human-centered, socially engaged storytelling. His acclaimed DOCUMENTARY BIL’IN MY LOVE (2006) documents nonviolent resistance in the West Bank, followed by REFUGEES (2008), which focuses on displaced communities. Expanding his form, he directed the animated film THE JOURNEY TO PLANET MINIMIK (2013). Across documentary and animation, his filmography reflects a sustained commitment to empathy, social justice, and giving voice to lived experiences. THE SEA is his debut feature film.