Paradise Now

Dutch-German-French co-production is a political feature film about the topical issue of suicide missions in Israel. The Arabic-spoken film shows the final twenty-four hours of Khaled (Ali Suliman) and Said (Kais Nashef), two young Palestinian friends who are 'chosen' to commit a suicide attack in Tel Aviv. On the eve of their secret mission, the film follows particularly Said, who bids farewell to his mother and family, who are ignorant of his plan. He also visits a girl he has recently met. In the morning, the twosome leaves for the border crossing, bombs under their smart suits. But the scheme does not work out as planned, as the two lose sight of each other. This forces them to think again about their destination and they are torn by doubt. Director Hany Abu-Assad, a Palestinian himself, shot the film in the Palestinian city of Nablus on the West Bank, which is surrounded by Israel, and in Nazareth. Worldwide, many people have shown interest in the film, which won many international