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image = Divine Intervention film.jpg | |
image = Divine Intervention film.jpg | |
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writer = [[Elia Suleiman]] | |
writer = [[Elia Suleiman]] | |
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starring = [[Elia Suleiman]] |
starring = [[Elia Suleiman]]<br>Manal Khader | |
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director = [[Elia Suleiman]] | |
director = [[Elia Suleiman]] | |
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producer = [[Humbert Balsan]] |
producer = [[Humbert Balsan]]<br>[[Elia Suleiman]] | |
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distributor = Avatar Films <small>(USA)</small>| |
distributor = Avatar Films <small>(USA)</small>| |
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released = [[May 19]], [[2002]] | |
released = [[May 19]], [[2002]] | |
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| Divine Intervention | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Elia Suleiman |
| Written by | Elia Suleiman |
| Produced by | Humbert Balsan Elia Suleiman |
| Starring | Elia Suleiman Manal Khader |
| Distributed by | Avatar Films (USA) |
Release dates | May 19, 2002 |
Running time | 92 min. |
| Countries | France Marocco Germany Palestine |
| Languages | Arabic, Hebrew |
Divine Intervention (Arabic: يد إلهية) is a 2002 film by the Israeli Palestinian director Elia Suleiman, which may be described as a surreal black comedy. The film consists largely of a series of brief interconnected sketches, but for the most part records a day in the life of a Palestinian living in Nazareth, whose girlfriend lives several checkpoints away in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
One lyrical section features a beautiful sunglasses-clad Palestinian woman (played by Manal Khader) whose passing by not only distracts all eyes, but whose gaze causes Israeli military checkpoint towers to crumble. The director features prominently as the film's silent, expressionless protagonist in an iconic and powerfully moving performance has been compared to the work of Buster Keaton, Jim Jarmusch and Jacques Tati.[1][2]
Despite being nominated for the "Palme d'Or" award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, the film's consideration as candidate for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards was an occasion for considerable controversy. In late 2002, producer Humbert Balsan authorized the US distributor of the film to release a statement which stated that Balsan had asked the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences if the film could run for best foreign language picture. According to Balsan, the answer was no, because "Palestine is not a state we recognize in our rules." However, spokesperson John Pavlik states that the Academy had never made a decision on that issue because Suleiman had never submitted his film. Critics like The Electronic Intifada and others, claim that the Academy did make a decision, and that it was based on political considerations.[3]
The film was considered for an Oscar the following year; Pavlik told Variety "The committee decided to treat Palestine as an exception in the same way we treat Hong Kong as an exception. It's always the goal of the foreign-language film award executive committee to be as inclusive as possible."[4]
The film screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival on May 12,[5] was awarded the Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI Prize for "its sensitive, amusing and innovative vision of a complex and topical situation and the tragic consequences that result from it".[6]
| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by
Blackboards tied with |
Jury Prize, Cannes 2002 |
Succeeded by |
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