Salt of this Sea (Arabic: ملح هذا البحر, romanized: Milh hadha al-bahr) is a 2008 Palestinian film directed by Annemarie Jacir and was an Official Selection of the Cannes International Film Festival in 2008. It is Palestine's submission to the 81st Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film stars Palestinian-American poet Suheir Hammad as Soraya, an American-born Palestinian woman, who heads to Israel and Palestine on a quest to reclaim her family's home and money that were taken during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. A young Saleh Bakri also stars in the film in his first role in an Arab film.
Contents
Awards
FIPRESCI PRIZE - INTERNATIONAL CRITICS AWARD
International Federation of Film Critics, 2008
FIRST PRIZE - BEST FILM
Sguardi Altrove Film Festival, Italy 2009
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Osians Asian & Arab Film Festival, 2008
BEST FIRST FILM
Traverse City Film Festival, 2009
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Oran International Festival of Arab Cinema, 2009
RANDA CHAHAL PRIZE
Journées cinématographiques de Carthage, 2008
BEST SCREENPLAY
Dubai International Film Festival, 2008
BEST OF FEST SELECT
Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival 2009
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD
Houston Palestine Film Festival, 2009
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD - BEST FEATURE
Chicago Palestine Film Festival, 2009
HONORABLE MENTION
Cairo Refugee Film Festival, 2009
AUDIENCE CHOICE RUNNER UP
Toronto Palestine Film Festival, 2008
PALESTINE'S OFFICIAL OSCAR ENTRY
FOR BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM, 2008
SOPADIN FINALIST
Grand Prix Best Screenplay, 2007
CINEMA IN MOTION AWARDS
San Sebastian Film Festival, 2007
Dedication
The film is dedicated to the memory of the Al-Dawayima massacre that happened in the village in 29 October 1948. The village ruins serve as the temporary residence of the main characters, Emad and Soraya.