75 minutes / Israeli - France Co-Production / 2017 / Hebrew ST English
 
Layer by layer the Manshiye neighborhood is exposed on the beach between Tel Aviv and Jaffa.  “Disappearances”  addresses a place that has disappeared, its existence still alive and etched in the memories of its inhabitants.
 
Synopsis Past inhabitants of Manshiye neighborhood arrive with their families for a picnic on the lawns that cover the ruins of houses they inhabited as children. They roam, breathing in the familiar sea air of the Jaffa City line, and try to locate the exact spot of the home from which they were either forced to flee or evicted by the authorities. The park serves as their witness stand, a stage on which the materials of memory are projected. With their children and grandchildren, in Arabic and in Hebrew, they share the little stories of their interrupted daily life. Their voices are a living testimony to the human fabric of the neighborhood. Layer by layer the neighborhood is exposed on the beach between Tel Aviv and Jaffa.  “Disappearances”  addresses a place that has disappeared, but its existence still alive and etched in the memories of its refugies.
 
 
"Disappearances" is a portrait of a place. By the sea between Tel-Aviv's skyscrapers and the old city of Jaffa lies a green, spacious park of soft lawns, hotels, and restaurants, a recreation venue inviting families and youngsters (Jews and Palestinians), to enjoy themselves, spend time and find relief from their daily grind. I watch it from my home window and go there with my children every afternoon to end the day on the beach. But this pastoral site holds a secret; here underneath the green loans and building was a thriving neighborhood whose houses reached the waterline – Manshiya. I had to expose the story that the authorities successfully are hiding from us for many years.
Anat Even