9 Star Hotel

In Israel's occupied territories, thousands of Palestinians work illegally as construction labourers. They undertake arduous and dangerous journeys in search of employment. At night they sleep in improvised huts and coffin-like cubicles, a stark contrast to the luxury apartment complexes they build by day. But they have made homes for themselves, complete with cosy pillows and even power, generated by batteries they have scraped together. In 9 Star Hotel, the filmmakers follow Ahmed and Muhammad, one a merry collector of found objects, the other a philosophical critic of the Palestinian character ("We think backward. We never think forward."). Together, they share food, belongings and stories, and live under the constant threat of arrest, as police, soldiers and the secret service are all tirelessly on the alert for illegal workers. With raw, handheld images, this disconcerting yet touching film documents friendship, nostalgia and the uncompromising urge to survive.

I made the film to give the Israelis a wake up call, to make them aware of what is happening, so that they don't allow themselves any longer to indulge the illusion that the separation wall makes any real difference to the situation or that our lives have suddenly become more peaceful.

Ido Haar