Tale of the Three Jewels

Michel Khleifi's 1995 film is set in a refugee camp in Gaza. A boy named Yusef meets a Romani girl who tells him the story of three lost jewels. The children set out after that story. The film moves between fairy tale and the everyday; the narrative keeps the conflict in the background without shutting it out, and shows how much the children have taken it in. It is counted among the first fiction features shot in Gaza. The cast are largely local people. The tone is poetic. Who it's for: viewers of Palestinian cinema and narratives told from a child's view. Who it's not for: viewers expecting direct political statement; the film chooses the form of a tale.