Mustafa and his wife Salwa are from two Palestinian West Bank villages only 200 meters apart but split by Israel’s separation wall. Mustafa lives on the Palestinian-controlled side of the wall, and Salwa and their children on the Israeli side. One day Mustafa gets the call every parent dreads: his son has been in an accident and is in the hospital. Mustafa will do anything to reach him, and after being denied access through the checkpoint on a technicality, he embarks upon a journey to cross the border illegally. The 200-meter distance soon becomes a 200-kilometer odyssey. Palestinian director Ameen Nayfeh’s debut drama shows us the life-threatening struggles of daily life under occupation in an urgent story of resistance, dignity, family and hope.
Winner, Audience Award, Giornate degli Autori, Venice International Film Festival 2020
“200 Meters illustrates how sweeping Israeli movement restrictions separate families, disrupt daily life and otherwise violate the basic rights of Palestinians in the occupied territory.” – Khulood Badawi, Israel and Palestine consultant, Human Rights Watch
