Synopsis

A dramatic detective feature film which follows Sharif (42), a promising Arab investigator with the Israel Police in Nazareth, who is asked to work on a case involving the murder of a teenage Arab girl, Wujud (17), who had been missing from home. Sharif believes that this is another case of an honor killing – a burning phenomenon in Arab society as well as in his own soul. His family, especially his father and his wife whose relationship is deteriorating, want him to stop the investigation, but this only seems to intensify his obsession to solve the case. Despite the personal and professional dangers, Sharif embarks on a journey to solve the case, aware that he must confront his own demons and those of Arab society but determined to find justice for Wujud. From Sharif’s point of view, justice can restore hope to bleeding Arab society.

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Honor killings are one of the gravest human rights violations committed against girls and women today. These crimes are a persistent and severe human rights issue in the Middle East and North Africa (“MENA”), and in parts of the global South. Many of these countries share similar languages, cultural practices, and religions, reflected in strict socio-cultural beliefs around gender roles. Unequal power structures, patriarchal attitudes, and popular beliefs all fuel honor-based violence.

The violence itself is embedded in strict and gendered norms. Certain social and sexual behaviors are labelled as immoral and improper, and are perceived as bringing dishonor, social humiliation, embarrassment or shame on the family and/or community. In these environments, women and girls are typically seen as representing the purity of the family, and social and sexual behaviors intended to uphold purity include avoiding interactions with men, keeping one’s virginity until marriage, a rejection of separation or divorce, and so forth.