TALE OF THE THREE JEWELS (HIKAYAT AL-JAWAHER AL-THALATH) International Cinema

The stark contrast between the grirn’ realities of life in contemporary Gaza and a young boy’s liberating
imagination imbue this Palestinian tale with a haunting quality … Youssef is a 12-year-old
lad whose precarious family unit includes a fugitive brother and a father imprisoned by the Israelis …
The focus of this piece becomes a story related by young Aida about a necklace brought by her
family from South America. It’s missing three jewels and Youssef becomes fixated on finding
them to win the heart of the girl. The search proves to be a mystical pursuit in which Youssef
discovers some salient truths about life. Its gentle message concerns real values and how they
surmount temporal realities … dramatically rich and emotionally poignant.-Leonard Klady, Variety
Tale Of The Three Jewels has been selected as Leonard Klady’s Critic’s Choice.