private

Inspired by real events, documentary filmmaker Saverio Costanzo's feature debut is a powerful psychological drama that explores the Arab-Israeli conflict from the perspective of a Palestinian family of seven whose home is suddenly, forcefully occupied by Israeli soldiers. Mohammad, his wife and five children live in a large, isolated house located mid-way between a Palestinian village and an Israeli settlement. Viewed as a strategic lookout point, the house is taken over by the soldiers, who confine Mohammad and his family to a few downstairs rooms in daytime and a single room at night. Against his wife's wishes, Mohammad decides to keep the family together in the house until the soldiers move on, creating division among his kin and a precarious relationship with the soldiers. Winner of the Golden Leopard for Best Film at Locarno in 2004, PRIVATE was selected to represent Italy at the 2005 Academy Awards.