Eid

​​A young man’s dream of becoming a writer is shattered when his family forces him into an arranged marriage. Eid, the first feature film ever made by a Bedouin filmmaker, offers an invaluable and insightful exploration of Bedouin culture while telling a universal, layered story of oppression, self-reclamation, and the search for freedom.

Eid, a young Bedouin man from Rahat – the largest Bedouin city in Israel – dreams of writing an autobiographical play based on his deeply traumatic upbringing in a harsh patriarchal environment. However, his aspiration to pursue an artistic career is shattered when his family forces him into an arranged marriage, an ordeal that ultimately tests his sense of self.

Set within the indigenous Bedouin society, Eid is the first feature film ever made by a Bedouin filmmaker. Filmmaker Yousef Abo Madegem spent nearly a decade crafting a layered and nuanced narrative. While offering an invaluable yet not uncritical insight into the traditional Bedouin culture and the challenges they face as an Arab minority in Israel, the film also tells a universal story of longing for freedom and self-determination – transcending national, tribal or familial constraints.

Eid’s struggle lies in his uneasy choice between the desire for self-discovery and his deep, burdensome connection to his roots – a source of both comfort and profound oppression. This inner conflict is also reflected visually, with tightly framed mise-en-scènes contrasting sharply with Eid’s rebellious vitality. Shadi Mar’i, an Arab Israeli actor, strikingly conveys the character’s hyper-sensitivity, turning it into both a shield and a shelter. His portrayal renders Eid as someone who ultimately embraces trauma, failure and betrayal as pathways to belonging that is no longer tied to a person or place, but rooted within oneself – the only possible homeland for beautiful, naked souls like Eid.

– Evgeny Gusyatinskiy

Trailer

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