Tale of the Three Jewels (Hikayatul jawahiri thalath)

Hikayatul jawahiri thalath (Tale of the Three Jewels) by Michel Khleifi (Belgium/UK/Spain/Palestine, 1995) (112 min.)
Cast: Mohammed Nahnal (Yussef), Hana' Ne'meh (Aida), Bushra Qaraman, …
Spoken: Arabic / Subtitled: English

Yussef, a twelve-year old Palestinian, is a child of the Intifada: while his father is in prison and his brother a fugitive from the Israeli army, he lives alone with his mother and sister. Even though his life is constantly marked by violence, he lives in his imagination, often escaping from the refugee-camps to the Gaza country-side. One day, as he is bird-hunting, he becomes the hero of a modern-day tale: he falls in love with Aida, a young gypsy girl who is the "leader" of a group of children. In order to marry her, Yussef must first find the three jewels missing from a family necklace, brought from South America by the girl's grand-father.

How can Yussef reach such a distant continent? His quest, woven into the daily lives of the people of Gaza, will lead him to his death and at the same time to his resurrection thanks to a wise old man who recites to him the enigmatic words inscribed on a manuscript which Yussef must first find and then throw into a desert well... It is thus that Yussef not only discovers the three jewels but also life and its meaning.

Followed by a talk (speakers to be confirmed).