THE WOMEN NEXT DOOR

THE WOMEN NEXT DOOR is a thoughtful and emotive documentary about women in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Israeli director Michal Aviad was living in the United States when the Intifada broke out in the West Bank and Gaza. Filled with questions about how the Occupation affected women on both sides of the conflict she set off in a journey through Israel and the Occupied Territories with two other women -- a Palestinian assistant director and an Israeli cinematographer. The film explores the roles that the Occupation designated for women on both sides and the questions it raises. In a world of occupation, what is the meaning of femininity, motherhood, birth, violence, compassion and solidarity between women? Can the womanhood of Israelis and Palestinians be separated from their political reality? The women next door are the women on either side of the border, as well as, those who face the camera and those who stand behind it. THE WOMEN NEXT DOOR provides a unique perspective on women’s lives in the Middle East and the critical part they play in rebuilding societies ravaged by war.

This film was broadcast nationally on PBS in the Point of View series and received awards from the Berlin Film Festival, the Jerusalem Film Festival, the San Francisco Film Festival and several others.

Produced and Directed by Michal Aviad

U.S. Producer: Kevin White

Fiscal sponsorship by Filmmakers Collaborative SF

Distributed by: Women Make Movies