The Sea

Description

2025 • Fiction • 93 mins • Country of production: Israel • Original languages: Arabic, Hebrew

Khaled (12), a Palestinian boy, is on his way to see the sea for the first time in his life. At the checkpoint, the Israeli authorities deny him entry. Undeterred, he crosses the border illegally and continues alone on his journey to the sea, travelling through a territory where his child’s eyes come face to face with the tensions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Meanwhile, his father, Ribhi, sets out to find him…

About the Film

The Sea tells a simple and universal story: that of a child whose only dream is to see the sea. From Ramallah to Tel Aviv, this journey lays bare, on both sides, ordinary lives damaged by the same machinery. It has been celebrated as a rare work of cinema, born out of an unprecedented collaboration between Israelis and Palestinians.
The film had its world premiere at the Jerusalem Film Festival on July 21, 2025, and went on to win five Ophir Awards, including Best Film and Best Actor, awarded to Mohammad Ghasawi, the youngest recipient in the history of the prize.
On September 18, 2025, the film was selected as Israel’s official submission for the 2026 Oscar for Best International Feature Film — not without controversy: Minister of Culture Miki Zohar announced the withdrawal of state funding for the Ophir Awards, accusing the ceremony of having honored a “pro-Palestinian” film. A charge that is hard to sustain for a film shot jointly in Arabic and Hebrew, carried by an Israeli and Palestinian team united around a shared story of humanity.