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A man and a woman, he looks down at her with kindness in his eyes.

Happy Holidays

  Scandar Copti

  Palestine, Germany, France, Italy, Qatar     123 minutes

Synopsis

A panoramic portrait of a patriarchal society, Happy Holidays chronicles the lives of a Palestinian family living in Israel. While studying far away from her home in Haifa, Fifi’s newfound sense of freedom is threatened when she gets into a minor car accident. Injured, but hoping to avoid confrontation with her headstrong mother, she must decide just how much to reveal to her family. Her decision creates a cascade of ripple effects, and a complex web of deceits and half-truths begins to crack the family’s foundations.

Told in four chapters, each from the perspective of a different character, the film intricately balances a bevy of narrative threads to create a swirling, kaleidoscopic drama. Featuring pitch-perfect performances and a shifting structure that subverts expectations at every turn, the film elaborates the clashing demands of tradition and progress.

 Arabic, Hebrew with subtitles

In Focus: Germany on Screen

the flag of GermanyThis film is part of the 60th Chicago International Film Festival’s In Focus: Germany on Screen collection highlighting the work of Germany’s most gifted auteur filmmakers.

Learn more about this collection

Screenings & Events

Screening

Wed, Oct 23 @ 5:15pm CDT

at Gene Siskel Film Center, screen 1

Accessibility options for this screening:
  • Assistive Listening Devices available
Learn more about accessibility options...

Screening

Thu, Oct 24 @ 11:30am CDT

at AMC NEWCITY 14, screen 13

Film Credits

  •   Tony Copti, Jiries Copti, Dorothe Beinemeier, Jean Bréhat, Marco Valerio Fusco, Micaela Fusco
  •   Scandar Copti
  •   Scandar Copti
  •   Tim Kuhn
  •   Manar Shehab, Wafaa Aoun, Meirav Memoresky, Toufic Danial
  •   Pascal Lemercier
  •   Fresco Films, Red Balloon Film, Tessalit Productions, Intramovies

Sponsors

New Directors Program Patron

Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation

With Support From

Logo: German Film Office 141x125Logo: German Films - 315x100Logo: Goethe Institut 62x100Logo: Chicago Palastine Film Festival - 128x100