The little traitor

The Little Traitor is adapted from the novel Panther in the Basement, by renowned author Amos Oz. The film stars Alfred Molina as a British sergeant and mentor to a precocious 11-year-old Israeli boy. A touching tale of friendship, trust and betrayal during the last days of the British occupation of Palestine in 1947, just a few months before Israel became a nation, The Little Traitor won the Audience Award for Best Feature at the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival, the Palm Beach International Film Festival and the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, among others.

The Little Traitor also stars Ido Port, Rami Heuberger, Gilya Stern and a cameo performance by international star Theodore Bikel. The film is written and directed by Lynn Roth and produced by Eitan Evan & Lynn Roth.

In The Little Traitor, Proffy Liebowitz (Ido Port) is a militant yet sensitive boy who wants nothing more than for the occupying British to leave his land. He and his two friends spend most of their time plotting ways to terrorize and/or blow up the British until one evening, while he's out after curfew, Proffy is seized by Sergeant Dunlop (Molina). Instead of arresting him, the British officer deposits Proffy back home, and soon the foes become friends. Proffy, who is estranged from his own father, begins to see Dunlop as a parental figure. Dunlop, lonely and poetic, loves the spirited boy and they find lots to talk about in their meetings, which Proffy must keep a secret. When Proffy's friends follow him one day and see that he has been visiting the detested enemy, they report him to the town officials and Proffy is brought to "trial" for being a traitor. He is eventually found innocent but these experiences shape him for life… especially the shock that he could have such genuine affection for the enemy.