Documentary backdrop image for The Arab Dream (1998)

Documentary backdrop image for The Arab Dream (1998)

199826 minGdocumentary

Colonialism Migration

The Arab Dream

199826 minGdocumentary

A 26-minute autobiographical film follows Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman as he reflects on his past and future in occupied Palestine.

Colonialism Migration

Genres

Director

Synopsis

A 26-minute autobiographical film follows Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman as he reflects on his past and future in occupied Palestine.

People

Elia Suleiman

Elia Suleimandirector

Elia Suleiman

Elia Suleimanwriter

Elia Suleiman

Elia Suleimancast

Synopsis

Elia Suleiman travels through Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Ramallah in search of his past and future in occupied Palestine. The 1998 film, commissioned by the ARTE network, captures significant political imagery in these locations. Suleiman reflects on daily injustices and their impact. The film combines personal narrative with broader observations about life under occupation. It runs for 26 minutes and is part of a series of films made for the end of the millennium.

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

Foreign Land: an Iraqi Jew and an Arab Born in Israel (2024)

Foreign Land: an Iraqi Jew and an Arab Born in Israel

An Arab actor and a Jewish journalist seek belonging in an increasingly extremist Israeli society.

Foreign Land: an Iraqi Jew and an Arab Born in Israel

Palestine 36: A film about a revolt that nearly changed history (2026)

Palestine 36: A film about a revolt that nearly changed history

1936 marks the beginning of the first mass uprising against British colonial rule in Palestine, a revolt that nearly succeeded before being crushed.

Palestine 36: A film about a revolt that nearly changed history

$P.S. Jerusalem: Journey through a fractured Society (2025)$

P.S. Jerusalem: Journey through a fractured Society

In Jerusalem, filmmaker Danae Elon faces hostility from both Jewish and Arab communities while documenting the complexities of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

P.S. Jerusalem: Journey through a fractured Society

The Battle For Jerusalem - Israel/ Palestine (2008)

The Battle For Jerusalem - Israel/ Palestine

The ongoing conflict in Jerusalem is explored through historical archives, highlighting the daily struggles and perspectives of both Israelis and Palestinians.

The Battle For Jerusalem - Israel/ Palestine

A visit back to Israel (2025)

A visit back to Israel

Thousands gather in Tel Aviv to demand the release of hostages in Gaza while divisions within Israeli society deepen.

A visit back to Israel

Forget Baghdad (2026)

Forget Baghdad

Jewish communists from Iraq are examined alongside stereotypes of "Jew" and "Arab" through a century of film, featuring voices like Shimon Ballas and Ella Shohat.

Arabic Secret | Documentary | Full Movie (2026)

Arabic Secret | Documentary | Full Movie

A man seeks to connect with his father for the first time, grappling with the absence of support and shared experiences throughout his life.

Arabic Secret | Documentary | Full Movie

Silence After The Storm: Return To My Homeland (Syria Documentary) (2022)

Silence After The Storm: Return To My Homeland (Syria Documentary)

700 families were forced to flee their homes in Syria due to ISIS attacks, prompting filmmaker Karam Ghosn to return and document the aftermath.

Silence After The Storm: Return To My Homeland (Syria Documentary)

The Final Work of an Israeli Filmmaker Killed by Hamas (2023)

The Final Work of an Israeli Filmmaker Killed by Hamas

A building in Gaza was hit and evaporated, illustrating the daily destruction faced by residents in the region.

The Final Work of an Israeli Filmmaker Killed by Hamas

Convert Or Burn: The Brutal Reality Of The Spanish Inquisition (2020)

Convert Or Burn: The Brutal Reality Of The Spanish Inquisition

The Spanish Inquisition, initiated by Catholic Monarchs Fernando and Isabel, targeted Conversos in a brutal campaign against perceived heresy and treachery.

Convert Or Burn: The Brutal Reality Of The Spanish Inquisition

1815: The Battle Of New Orleans (2023)

1815: The Battle Of New Orleans

In January 1815, American forces under Andrew Jackson killed or wounded more than 2,000 British soldiers in just 30 minutes during the Battle of New Orleans.

1815: The Battle Of New Orleans

Faces of colonialism: the story of an imperialist propaganda (2023)

Faces of colonialism: the story of an imperialist propaganda

Robert Lohmeyer took the first color photographs of Africa between 1907 and 1909, documenting German colonies and shaping European perceptions of the continent.

Faces of colonialism: the story of an imperialist propaganda

Explore The Arab Dream

People Topics FAQ

Where else to watch

The Dream (1987)

The Dream

1987•45m•★7.4TMDB

Forty-five minutes of interviews reveal the experiences of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon's Sabra and Shatila camps after the 1982 massacre.

Jerusalem(s), Borderline Syndrome (1995)

Jerusalem(s), Borderline Syndrome

1995•1h5m•★10.0TMDB

A young boy wanders the streets of Jerusalem and encounters a prostitute with golden breasts during a night filled with unexpected revelations.

Jerusalem(s), Borderline Syndrome

Toward Jerusalem (1991)

Toward Jerusalem

1991•1h27m•★6.3TMDB

Austrian filmmaker Ruth Beckermann travels from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, documenting the diverse perspectives of Israelis and Arabs along the way.

Toward Jerusalem

Colliding Dreams (2015)

Colliding Dreams

2015•2h14m•★6.9TMDB

Over a century of conflict is examined through the perspectives of Israelis and Palestinians, featuring insights from Amos Oz and Sari Nusseibeh.

Colliding Dreams

Heritages (2014)

Heritages

2014•1h36m•★6.5TMDB

Ghassan Salhab left Lebanon three times, reflecting on his family's history amid the Lebanese Civil War and ongoing political unrest.

Browse more like this

Foreign Land: an Iraqi Jew and an Arab Born in Israel (2024)

Foreign Land: an Iraqi Jew and an Arab Born in Israel

An Arab actor and a Jewish journalist seek belonging in an increasingly extremist Israeli society.

Foreign Land: an Iraqi Jew and an Arab Born in Israel

No digital watch option in your country

$P.S. Jerusalem: Journey through a fractured Society (2025)$

P.S. Jerusalem: Journey through a fractured Society

In Jerusalem, filmmaker Danae Elon faces hostility from both Jewish and Arab communities while documenting the complexities of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

P.S. Jerusalem: Journey through a fractured Society

No digital watch option in your country

A visit back to Israel (2025)

A visit back to Israel

Thousands gather in Tel Aviv to demand the release of hostages in Gaza while divisions within Israeli society deepen.

A visit back to Israel

No digital watch option in your country

Forget Baghdad (2026)

Forget Baghdad

Jewish communists from Iraq are examined alongside stereotypes of "Jew" and "Arab" through a century of film, featuring voices like Shimon Ballas and Ella Shohat.

No digital watch option in your country

The Final Work of an Israeli Filmmaker Killed by Hamas (2023)

The Final Work of an Israeli Filmmaker Killed by Hamas

A building in Gaza was hit and evaporated, illustrating the daily destruction faced by residents in the region.

The Final Work of an Israeli Filmmaker Killed by Hamas

No digital watch option in your country

Convert Or Burn: The Brutal Reality Of The Spanish Inquisition (2020)

Convert Or Burn: The Brutal Reality Of The Spanish Inquisition

The Spanish Inquisition, initiated by Catholic Monarchs Fernando and Isabel, targeted Conversos in a brutal campaign against perceived heresy and treachery.

Convert Or Burn: The Brutal Reality Of The Spanish Inquisition

No digital watch option in your country

1815: The Battle Of New Orleans (2023)

1815: The Battle Of New Orleans

In January 1815, American forces under Andrew Jackson killed or wounded more than 2,000 British soldiers in just 30 minutes during the Battle of New Orleans.

1815: The Battle Of New Orleans

No digital watch option in your country

And I Was There (2020)

And I Was There

2020•1h5m•★8.5TMDB

Palestinian homes in the West Bank are used as leisure spaces for Israeli soldiers during their service.

And I Was There

Arab Camera (1987)

Arab Camera

1987•1h5m•★6.0TMDB

Twenty years of Arab cinema are examined through interviews and film clips that address themes of Palestinian rights and Arab identity.

Nazareth 2000 (2001)

Nazareth 2000

2001•55m•★6.0TMDB

Two gas station attendants in Nazareth provide humorous commentary on the political and social tensions in their city just before the new millennium.

Arab Movie (2015)

Arab Movie

2015•1h•★5.7TMDB

Israel's official TV station aired weekly Arabic-language films from Egypt, despite ongoing hostilities between the two nations.

The Other Jerusalem (2017)

The Other Jerusalem

2017•58m•★6.0TMDB

Fifty years after Israel's full control, Palestinians like Khaled face displacement due to the construction of archaeological gardens and tunnels.

The Other Jerusalem

A Provincial Town (2017)

A Provincial Town

2017•1h28m•★5.0TMDB

Colón, a town two hours north of Buenos Aires, presents vignettes of its residents' daily lives and interactions.

A Provincial Town

Indisch Zwijgen (2022)

Indisch Zwijgen

2022•32m•★7.0TMDB

Three young artists confront the silence surrounding their family histories linked to the Dutch East Indies in a 32-minute documentary.

Indisch Zwijgen

Browse more by Elia Suleiman

View all films →

War and Peace in Vesoul (1997)

War and Peace in Vesoul

1997

Introduction to the End of an Argument (1990)

Introduction to the End of an Argument

1990

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →