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PRESENT AWOL

PALESTINE

By Julio SOTO

Drama - Development 2013

Somewhere in the West Bank, Chaim, an Israeli soldier is injured during an accident, losing his memory as a result. When the young man is found wandering lost by a Palestinian villager, he is taken for Nessim, a young Palestinian man who's been languishing for ten years in Israeli prisons.

- Year of production
- 2013
- Genres
- Drama, Thriller
- Countries
- SPAIN
- Languages
- ARABIC, HEBREW
- Budget
- 1 - 3 M$
- Duration
- 90 mn
- Director(s)
- Julio SOTO
- Writer(s)
- Suha ARRAF
- Synopsis
- Somewhere in the West Bank, Chaim, an Israeli soldier is injured during an accident, losing his memory as a result. When the young man is found wandering lost by a Palestinian villager, he is immediately taken for Nassim, a young Palestinian man who's been languishing in Israeli prisons for a long time.
  His mother, Ismahan, takes care of the newcomer, truly believing that is her son and making every effort to help him regain all the time lost. Although her neice Rana initially mistrusts the young man, she will eventually fall in love with him and become inseparable. Chaim will also meet his childhood friend Samir, who is now part of a radical brigade that soon starts suspecting the newcomer.
  Chaim's identity will become so intertwined with his new Palestinian life that the moment he remembers his past, he will be forced to make a tremendous sacrifice, as his former life pushes through pain and tears in Chaim’s absence without leave (AWOL).
  “Present AWOL” is based on the book "Palestine" by French-Tunisian author Hubert Haddad. The book received the 2009 Renaudot Prize and the 2008 Francophonie Five Continents Prize.
- Partners & financing
- ICAA (Spain), Spanish Film Fund
- Beginning of shooting
- Oct 01, 2012