Välkommen till Hebron

The first thing 17-year-old Leila asserts in “Welcome to Hebron” is that no one can tell her what to do. She is a Palestinian who lives in the Israeli-occupied city of Hebron in the West Bank, and she refuses to be a victim. Surrounded by check-points, barbed wire and the constant threat of being attacked by settlers or soldiers, she dreams of seeing something different, studying in Egypt and ultimately bringing peace to Hebron. Due to its location between the Palestinian community and the Israeli settlement, the Al- Qurtuba school, where Leila is a student, is a daily target for stone and egg-throwing. A former Israeli soldier, who has served 14 months in Hebron explains the mentality: “When you see a Palestinian, you throw a rock.” The children are taught the same, and children under twelve cannot be prosecuted. Never afraid of getting in close with his handheld camera, director Terje Carlsson is a clever observer, not shying away from controversy, instead letting the situations

World premiere