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Directed by Mohamed Jabaly (Palestine and Norway, 2023, 93 min.). Arabic and English with English subtitles.

Young Palestinian director Mohamed Jabaly is visiting a film festival in Tromsø, Norway, in 2014 when the Gazan borders close. He finds himself stuck in the arctic winter, unaware that it will be seven long years before he can see his family again.

While waiting for the situation to change, Mohamed’s friends back home tell him to seek asylum or get married to stay in Norway. But Mohamed refuses to give up his Palestinian identity and insists on being recognized for his work. After being denied a work permit after several appeals, despite his film Ambulance gaining international success, Jabaly decides to take his case to court, backed by a growing group of supporters.

As this unfolds, Jabaly lives a parallel life online, staying connected with family in Gaza. They provide solace, but Mohamed cannot shake the pain of being separated from his loved ones and is faced with an impossible choice: if he goes back to Gaza, he may never be able to leave again and continue his work as an acclaimed film director, sharing his stories with the world.

Life is Beautiful is a documentary about overcoming a life put on hold by international politics and rigid bureaucracy, told firsthand by a filmmaker who uses all his creativity to forge a way forward.