Private Project

Yaffa 11

Darwish, an Arab-Israeli teenager in Jaffa, is struggling to figure out his place in the world. Estranged from his conservative Muslim father, and squatting on a dilapidated boat, he dreams of a new start abroad away from Arab-Israeli conflict. His new passport presents him with a decision: stay in a familiar restrictive world, or venture out into the unknown.

  • Hassan Kadan
    Director
  • Hassan Kadan
    Writer
  • Nathan Marcus
    Producer
  • Jeremiah Joseph
    Producer
  • Abdalla el Akel
    Key Cast
  • Dadije el Akel
    Key Cast
  • Or Sivan
    Key Cast
  • Ramy Buzaglo
    Key Cast
  • Amnon Zlayit
    Director of Photography
  • Tal Keller
    Editor
  • Michael Goorevich
    Sound Designer
  • Guy Leibush
    Composer
  • Yoav Sinai
    Production Designer
  • Mark Segal
    Production Designer
  • Mervat Hakroush
    Costume Designer
  • Rona Doron
    Costume Designer
  • Mervat Hakroush
    Hair & Makeup
  • Sigalit Grau
    Hair & Makeup
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Children//Youth, Family Issues, Culture, Racism, Emigration, Mature Theme, Mental Health, BIPOC, Age, Isolation, Debut, Social issues
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 21 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 15, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    50,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Israel
  • Country of Filming:
    Israel
  • Language:
    Arabic, Hebrew
  • Shooting Format:
    Alexa Classic
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Show Me Shorts Film Festival

    Australia
    October 7, 2022
Director Biography - Hassan Kadan

Hassan Kadan is a Palestinian citizen of Israel who was born and raised in a traditional Muslim family in Jaffa. Hassan found sanctuary in the cinema after facing the difficult reality of navigating childhood and adolescence as an Arab in the State of Israel from a fractured family. Following the divorce of his parents at seventeen, Hassan moved from the small, ancient port city of Jaffa to the bustling metropolis of Tel-Aviv by himself; only a few kilometers away, but a world apart.

Driven by a deep passion for the arts, and for cinema in particular, Hassan decided to do whatever it took to obtain a formal film school education. He completed two years of film school and went on to find work on film sets. Films took him to far away places, introduced him to new ideas and sheltered him from the traumas of family life and the perpetual Arab-Israeli conflict. Starting out as a PA and working his way up the ladder, he started writing and developing his voice with the goal of directing.

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Director Statement

Yaffa 11 is a portrait and reflection on his experience growing up in Jaffa, through which I hope to make his unique narrative resonate with a universally shared ambivalent feeling; that of belonging and not belonging to a place, a culture, a family.