Tale of the three jewels = Conte des trois diamonts

A beautiful film of young adolescent love, of dreams and fantasies, which sadly takes place in a world of conflict, hate and violence in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. Twelve year-old Yusef (Mohammad Nahhal) lives in a refugee camp with his mother and older sister. His father is in prison and his older brother is on the run from the Israeli soldiers. To escape the surrounding violence Yusef constantly lives in an imaginary world, but it is his bird hunting in the near-by countryside that allows Yusef a sense of freedom and space. It is here that Yusef meets Aida (Hana Nemah), the wild and lovely young gypsy girl from a local gypsy camp, whose beguiling eyes and smile Yusef finds hard to resist. He soon declares his love for Aida telling her he will marry her when they grow up. However Aida sets a task for Yusef before she will agree to marriage, that being he must first find three jewels missing from her grandmother’s necklace, which was brought from South America by her grandfather. And so the adventure begins as Yusef, determined, sets out on his quest to find the three missing jewels with the help of Aida and his very close friend Salah (Ghassan Abur Libda) who comes from a wealthy and influential family of orange growers. These three young Palestinian friends from such disparate backgrounds are each portrayed sensitively by the young actors involved. Combine this with superb direction from Michel Khleifi (Wedding in Galilee, Forbidden marriages in the Holy Land), stunning cinematography by Raymond Fromont, and the fact that it is the first feature film ever to be shot in the Gaza Strip, makes “Tale of the three jewels” compelling viewing. Cast also includes Makram Khouri, Bushra Qaraman, Mohammad Bakri. Winner of several international awards. In Arabic with English subtitles.