Far from Maine

Palestinian Aseel and Israeli Roy were childhood friends and fellow peace activists. After Aseel was killed by Israeli police, Roy has never stopped speaking to him, seeking his moral clarity during growing injustice. A deeply intimate testimony of solidarity amid the devastating war.

Roy Cohen, an Israeli of Arab-Jewish descent, and Palestinian citizen of Israel Aseel Asleh met in the 1990s as teenagers at a peace camp in Maine, USA. They became close friends and advocates for a shared future without violence – a hope that would never be realised. In the historic events of October 2000, Aseel was killed by Israeli police, leaving Roy with a wound that never healed. Since then, he has never stopped speaking to Aseel, seeking his moral clarity amid escalating injustice.

Far from Maine is Roy’s personal letter to Aseel, restoring his legacy through memories and encounters with Palestinian friends as well as leading Israeli figures in their community. The film stands as a testimony to Cohen’s grief, sense of responsibility and shattered sense of belonging amid the devastating war in Gaza and the extreme radicalisation of Israeli society after October 7. Through a deeply intimate gaze, Cohen captures this reality with honesty and clarity rooted in dialogue and deep nuance – qualities increasingly marginalised in an age defined by rupture and refusal.

– Evgeny Gusyatinskiy

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