Israeli Oscar-nominated film embarrasses the government and sparks widespread sympathy for Palestinians.

Arab Sea - Follow-ups:

An Israeli film director, whose film is an Oscar nominee for 2026 and depicts the journey of a Palestinian boy seeking to see the sea, hopes that the cinematic work will contribute to awakening empathy within Israel amidst numerous wars. The prospects for lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians have rarely seemed bleaker than they are now, following the attack led by the Palestinian Hamas movement on October 7, 2023, the two-year Gaza war, and the escalating settler violence in the West Bank. However, director and writer Shay Carmeli Pollak felt relieved after the welcome his film "Sea" received and after winning the most important film award in Israel, which led to its automatic nomination to compete for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the winner of which will be announced next March. Carmeli Pollak said in an interview this week after the film screening, "I met the audience who came to watch the film, and I was amazed by their empathy and sometimes their tears because of the film's story, where acts of violence and atrocities occurred not far from here." The film "Sea" tells the story of Khaled, a Palestinian boy living in the occupied West Bank who fears growing up without seeing the sea. He embarks on a perilous journey alone and without travel documents to Israel in search of reaching the shore. Khaled was previously prevented at a checkpoint from completing a school trip to the sea, and his sudden disappearance from home leads his father, an undocumented worker in Israel, to risk arrest by starting a search for him. According to Reuters, "Sea" won the Best Film award at the "Ophir" Awards ceremony last September, an event condemned by Culture Minister Miki Zohar, who withdrew funding for the ceremony due to the film's portrayal of the Israeli army. Since 2022, the Israeli government has become the most right-wing in its history, strongly opposing the establishment of a Palestinian state and insisting on expanding settlements in the West Bank. "Empathy and Love" The 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which resulted in the death of more than 1,200 people, has hardened the positions of many Israelis towards Palestinians and made criticism of the army a more sensitive issue. Carmeli Pollak and Baher Agbariya, an Israeli-Palestinian producer of the film, said it is important to make films that help people hear each other's stories. Carmeli Pollak told Reuters, "I am hopeful that the film will open new channels of empathy and love, and provide new ways for us to live together in this place." Agbariya said that showing a Palestinian story in mainstream cinemas in Israel seemed amazing in the atmosphere of war. He added, "Because of what is happening, this is also the right time for this film... for this kind of story, in order to listen to the stories of others." The film was released in cinemas in Israel in July and is still showing. At the 2025 Academy Awards, the Israeli-Palestinian film "No Other Land" won the Best Documentary award, sparking the anger of the Israeli government. The film tells the story of Israel's displacement of a Palestinian community in the West Bank. Carmeli Pollak, a long-time peace activist, said that despite the government's desire not to represent Israel, he feels proud to be part of a community of filmmakers who chose to honor "Sea." He added, "I represent all peoples, such as Israelis and Palestinians, who look forward to achieving peace, equality, and living together in a way that differs from the way this government is pursuing."