Palestine | Germany | France | Italy | Qatar 2024
Opening September 4, 2025

Directed by: Scandar Copti
Writing credits: Scandar Copti
Principal actors: Manar Shehab, Wafaa Aoun, Merav Mamorsky, Toufic Danial

Rami (Toufic Danial) is a Palestinian from Haifa. His girlfriend, Shirley (Shani Dahari), is Jewish from Israel. She is pregnant and decides to keep the child, contrary to Rami’s expectations. How to cope with fatherhood? His mother Hanan (Wafaa Aoun) is planning to sell the house due to financial problems. Her daughter Fifi (Manar Shehab) is studying in Jerusalem, and her second daughter Leila (Sophie Awaad) is planning her wedding with Walid (Raed Burbara). These wedding costs add to Hanan’s problems. Miri (Merav Mamorsky) is the sister of Shirley and the mother of teenager Ori (Neomi Memorsky), who suffers from depression. There are accidents and attempts to seek insurance compensation. Fifi hides a secret in order not to damage her relationship with Walid. She also is against having their parents meet at a lunch, which they had planned.

This story is divided into four chapters, one leading to the next over two hours. Seven people find themselves related in various connections, which I hope to have understood correctly. What does the title Happy Holidays have to do with the plot? There never seems to be any holiday and there are certainly few, if any, happy moments, as all participants cope with their relationships. The film showed at ten film festivals in 2024, winning seven prizes out of twelve nominations, including a prize to Dorothe Beinemeier for best production at the 2024 Filmfest Hamburg. (Becky T.)