The South: Alice Never Lived Here 82 min • Israel, 1998 Sini Bar David, Director

How are we molded by the landscapes of our homeland and childhood?  A powerful journey of lost innocence, The South explores the experiences of three generations of Sephardic women.  Beautifully choreographed, criss-crossing from a small Ladino-speaking Greek village to the housing projects near Jaffa, this ground-breaking documentary offers a rare account of three women struggling to survive, to have a meaningful life, and to express their unique voice in Israeli society.  Facing cultural isolation, poverty and racism head-on, filmmaker Sini Bar-David intimately juxtaposes her own story with that of 15-year-old Elinor: bussed to school in wealthier, "whiter" North Tel Aviv, determined to challenge the limitations society has imposed, yet mired in an internal struggle between ambition, family and roots

Introduced By: Marie Shek, Israeli Cultural Attache
Invited Guest: Director Sini Bar-David