A clever melding of sexual, religious and international politics, Little Jerusalem looks at the Arab-Israeli conflict through the eyes of two women living in a poor, Jewish suburb of Paris populated largely by North African immigrants. Laura, an 18-year-old philosophy student, believes wholeheartedly in Kant’s rejection of “primal urges” – that is, until she meets a charming young Muslim man. Meanwhile, her devout older sister Mathilde deals with a different kind of crisis of faith as discoveries about her husband’s infidelities force her to face her own repressed sexuality.

“[Albou] opens up the intimate physical and psychological spaces of these two strong women through a style indebted to the sophisticated impressionism of Claire Denis and Lucrecia Martel.” – New York Times

Herself the daughter of Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Algeria, Karin Albou, 37, has a background in dance, acting and literature. Her first feature, Little Jerusalem won the SACD screenwriting award at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival and the Critics Award from the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics.

Producers: Laurent Lavolé, Isabelle Pragier Screenwriter: Karin Albou Cinematographer: Laurent Brunet Editor: Christiane Lack Music: Cyril Morin Cast: Fanny Valette, Elsa Zylberstein, Bruno Todeschini, Heidi Tillette de Clermont-Tonnerre