Lady Kul El Arab

Angelina, the first Druze woman to attempt significant steps in the Israeli fashion world, finds herself in the middle o... (more)

Angelina, the first Druze woman to attempt significant steps in the Israeli fashion world, finds herself in the middle of a complicated conflict in which the tradition and values of her society clash with her brave efforts to choose her own way in life. Duah Fares, a young woman from the Druze village of Sagur in the Galilee, was one of the 12 finalists in the beauty pageant for Israeli-Arab women - 'Lady Kul el-Arab.' While preparing for the pageant, a special relationship develops between Duah and fashion designer Jack Yaakob. Together they go to Tel Aviv to register Duah for the general Israeli beauty contest as well. Duah breezes through the preliminary selections for the contest and changes her name to Angelina. Lady Kul el-Arab which set out as a glamorous film about a beauty pageant, turned into a moving story of a family caught between cultures. In her fifth film, director Ibtisam Mara'ana succeeds in delicately drawing the dramatic and touching portrait of a young woman who finds herself at the heart of a struggle which fascinates the whole country. (less)