Educational Media Reviews Online

200 Meters is both the title and the distance between the two homes of Mustafa's family, separated by the wall on the Israeli/Palestinian border in this highly decorated film by writer-director Ameen Neyfah. While Mustafa's wife, Salwa, works multiple jobs and resides on the Israeli side, Mustafe must travel back and forth through the wall in order to take day work at construction sites. In part, Mustafa's dilemma is caused by his refusal to take a resident card in protest to Israeli oppression. We see the toll the separation takes on the family and Mustafa's health and well-being.

The plot centers around two coinciding inciting incidents--a difficulty with Mustafa's permit to enter Israel and his son getting hit by a car on the Israeli side. Thus begins a somewhat harrowing road trip to desperately smuggle himself through the wall. Ali Suliman, Anna Unterberger, Lana Zreik, and Motaz Malhees lead an excellent cast of characters who, in their own ways, are all dealing with the ongoing tensions between Palestine and Israeli. The film is a glimpse into the day-to-day struggles of life at the wall, and tells a subtle, yet stark story of family and politics on the West Bank. Apart from one extreme jump cut, the film unfolds at a leisurely pace that allows each scene to build its own tension, addressing a variety of issues around the central conflict. 200 Meters does not set out to answer the larger questions of the political discord and, in the end, very little is resolved--just like the Middle East conflict itself.

Awards:
Audience Award, Ajyal Youth Film Festival; Jury Prize: Best Feature Film, Ajyal Youth Film Festival; The BNL People's Choice Award, Venice Days; Best Actor, Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival; Human Rights Jury Prize, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival; Best Actor, El Gouna Film Festival; Cinema for Humanity Prize, El Gouna Film Festival; EDA Award, El Gouna Film Festival; International Critics Prize, El Gouna Film Festival; Best Script, Fajr Film Festival; Best Film, Fajr Film Festival; Best International Film, Golden Rooster Awards; ICFT UNESCO, Ghandi Award, Best Film, International Film Festival of India; Best Feature Film, Karama Human Rights Film Festival; Audience Award, Middle East Now; Best Actor, The Critics Awards for Arab Films; Best Director, The Critics Awards for Arab Films; Best Director, Thessaloniki Film Festival

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