Ave Maria

Director: Basil Khalil
Rights:
Highlights Highlights Highlights
The film has been nominated to the 88th Academy Awards for Best Live Action Short 2016.
The film’s poster has been selected as one of the best film posters at the Cannes Film Festival by the British Film Institute's Sight and Sound magazine.
AVE MARIA won 25 awards and screened at more than 130 international film festivals.
The film was shortlisted for the 2017 Cesar Film Award for Best Short Film Award.
Ave Maria Poster
2015/ Palestine14 min/ Comedy
Original Title
Al Salamu A’layki Ya Mariam
SYNOPSIS
The film tells the story of an order of Palestinian nuns living in the middle of the West Bank wilderness. Their daily routine of silence and prayer is disrupted when a family of Israeli settlers breaks down right outside their convent, just as the Sabbath is beginning. The family need to get home but can’t operate the phone, and the Nuns have taken a vow of silence.
CAST
Maria Zreik
Huda Al-Imam
Ruth Farhi
Shady Srour
CREW
Screenwriter: Basil Khalil
Danile Yanez
DOP: Eric Mizrahi
Editor: Basil Khalil
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Production Company(ies)
Incognito Films
Producer(s)
Eric Dupont
film festivals
Cannes Film Festival, France
Sydney Film Festival, Australia
Diritti a Todi Human Rights Festival, Italy
Clair Obscur Film Festival, Switzerland
Mizna’s Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, USA
Festival Images en vues, Canada
MedFilm Festival - Rome, Italy
UK Jewish Film Festival, UK
INTERFILM - International Short Film Festival Berlin, Germany
Zagreb Film Festival, Croatia
World Film Festival of Bangkok, Thailand
Séquence Court Métrage, France
Badalona Short Film Festival, Spain
Bosporus Film Festival, Turkey
Longue vie sur le court, Canada
Leuven Short Film Festival, Belgium
Brussels Mediterranean Film Festival, Belgium
Passaggi D’autore Film Festival, Italy
Fréjus Short Film Festival, France
San Diego Jewish Film Festival, USA
Madrid Palestine Film Festival, Spain
Santiago de Chile Palestine Film Festival, Chile
Maine Jewish Film Festival, USA
Boston Palestine Film Festival, USA
TOFI Festival, Poland
FilmLab Palestine, Palestine
Arab Film Festival, USA
Long Beach Int’l Film Festival, USA
Metricamente Corto Film Festival, Italy
Athens International Film Festival, Greece
Busan Film Festival, South Korea
Malmo Arab Film Festival, Sweden
Hamptons International Film Festival, USA
BFI London Film Festival, UK
Sedicicorto Film Festival -16Shorts, Italy
Encounters Short Film Festival, UK
Capalbio Cinema International Short Film Festival, Italy
Molise Cinema Film Festival, Italy
Casalborgone Short Film Festival, Italy
Shorts Mexico Film Festival, Mexico
Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), UAE
Tangier International Film Festival, Morocco
Festival International du Cinéma Méditerranéen de Montpellier (CINEMED), France
Tripoli Film Festival, Lebanon
Küstendorf International Film and Music Festival, Serbia
Coronado Island Film Festival, USA
International Short Film Festival of Cyprus (ISFFC), Cyprus
Kaohsiung Film Festival, Taiwan
Cervignano Film Festival, Italy
Adana Golden Boll Short Film Festival, Turkey
Festival de Court de Grenoble, France
Palm Springs International Short Festival, USA
film awards
Best Muhr Short Award at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), UAE
Best Script Award at the Tangier International Film Festival, Morocco
Audience Award at the Festival International du Cinéma Méditerranéen de Montpellier (CINEMED), France
Best Short Film at the Tripoli Film Festival, Lebanon
2nd Place within the Confrontations Competition at the INTERFILM - International Short Film Festival Berlin, Germany
Silver Egg Award and Vilko Filač Award for Best Cinematography at the Küstendorf International Film and Music Festival, Serbia
Special Jury Recognition for Short Film at the Coronado Island Film Festival, USA
Best Short Film Award at the International Short Film Festival of Cyprus (ISFFC), Cyprus
Green SOS Award at the Kaohsiung Film Festival, Taiwan
Best Director Award at the Cervignano Film Festival, Italy
Best Film Award at the Adana Golden Boll Short Film Festival, Turkey
Best Screenplay Award at the Festival de Court de Grenoble, France
1st Prize HP Bridging the Borders Award and a Special Mention (live action under 15 min) at the Palm Springs International Short Festival, USA
Quotes
“Director Basil Khalil and co-writer Daniel Yáñez have come up with a cutely comic conceit for their short film Ave Maria.” Jared Mobarak

“Ave Maria never ridicules the various religious traditions it references but gently makes sport of the hypocrisy around them." Jennie Kermode - Eye for Film