Clara Khoury

January 29, 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 5-year old girl is trapped under fire in Gaza. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her. Her name was Hind Rajab. Blending real emergency recordings with narrative structure, the film follows the dispatchers who fight against time and impossible barriers to reach her.

With an ensemble cast of both Israeli and Palestinian actors, “Laila in Haifa” explores the interweaving stories of five women set over one night in a club in the port town of Haifa. Laced with wry humor, Amos Gitai presents a candid snapshot of contemporary life in one of the last remaining spaces where Israelis and Palestinians come together to engage in face‐to‐face relationships.