Divine Intervention Critics Choice 2025
Genre
SPECIAL PROGRAMME
Release Date
12 Jul 2025 (Sat)
Category
--- (HK), ---(Macau)
Running Time
92 Minutes
Language
Arabic, Hebrew and English
Subtitle
Chinese and English
Director
Elia Suleiman
Cast
Elia Suleiman, Manal Khader
Synopsis
The city of Nazareth is mainly inhabited by Arabs living under the Israeli occupation. Life seems to be peaceful here, but violence can be triggered at any time: Teenagers chase Santa Claus down and kill him; drivers curse at each other; neighbours toss trash at each other; an old man punctures a youngster’s football. Some are spectators while others beat people up, shoot guns and set fires, just like any other day. Israel sets up a checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah in Palestine; after a son visits his heart attack-
stricken father in the hospital, he goes to the checkpoint for a silent date with his lover, who is in the Ramallah side. As the pressure cooker nears breaking point, a red balloon with Yasser Arafat’s face floats across Jerusalem, and a female ninja fights Israeli soldiers. Writing, directing and starring in the film, Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman portrays everyday reality in Israel and Palestine using absurd surrealism, denouncing the cruelty and injustice of the occupation. The Cannes jury led by David Lynch fell in love with the film, making it the first Palestinian film to win a major award at one of the “Big Three” European film festivals.
With a 10–15-minute introduction in Cantonese by film critic Timmy Chen.
stricken father in the hospital, he goes to the checkpoint for a silent date with his lover, who is in the Ramallah side. As the pressure cooker nears breaking point, a red balloon with Yasser Arafat’s face floats across Jerusalem, and a female ninja fights Israeli soldiers. Writing, directing and starring in the film, Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman portrays everyday reality in Israel and Palestine using absurd surrealism, denouncing the cruelty and injustice of the occupation. The Cannes jury led by David Lynch fell in love with the film, making it the first Palestinian film to win a major award at one of the “Big Three” European film festivals.
With a 10–15-minute introduction in Cantonese by film critic Timmy Chen.
The city of Nazareth is mainly inhabited by Arabs living under the Israeli occupation. Life seems to be peaceful here, but violence can be triggered at any time: Teenagers chase Santa Claus down and kill him; drivers curse at each other; neighbours toss trash at each other; an old man punctures a youngster’s football. Some are spectators while others beat people up, shoot guns and set fires, just like any other day. Israel sets up a checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah in Palestine; after a son visits his heart attack-
stricken father in the hospital, he goes to the checkpoint for a silent date with his lover, who is in the Ramallah side. As the pressure cooker nears breaking point, a red balloon with Yasser Arafat’s face floats across Jerusalem, and a female ninja fights Israeli soldiers. Writing, directing and starring in the film, Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman portrays everyday reality in Israel and Palestine using absurd surrealism, denouncing the cruelty and injustice of the occupation. The Cannes jury led by David Lynch fell in love with the film, making it the first Palestinian film to win a major award at one of the “Big Three” European film festivals.
With a 10–15-minute introduction in Cantonese by film critic Timmy Chen.
stricken father in the hospital, he goes to the checkpoint for a silent date with his lover, who is in the Ramallah side. As the pressure cooker nears breaking point, a red balloon with Yasser Arafat’s face floats across Jerusalem, and a female ninja fights Israeli soldiers. Writing, directing and starring in the film, Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman portrays everyday reality in Israel and Palestine using absurd surrealism, denouncing the cruelty and injustice of the occupation. The Cannes jury led by David Lynch fell in love with the film, making it the first Palestinian film to win a major award at one of the “Big Three” European film festivals.
With a 10–15-minute introduction in Cantonese by film critic Timmy Chen.
