theft of fire(2023)

Palestine, Canada, France, Arabic, English, Hebrew - 90 min

Director

amer shomali

Color

Length

90 min

Language

Arabic, English, Hebrew

Producer

Rashid Abdelhamid

INFORMATION

madeinpal.project@gmail.com

theft of fire

Palestine, Canada, France

LogLine

Theft of Fire is a genre-defying feature documentary that tells the story of an art heist that never happened, set on the backdrop of true historical events, people, and places.

Synopsis

Theft of Fire is a genre-defying feature documentary that tells the story of an art heist that never happened, set on the backdrop of true historical events, people, and places. Our story follows a duo of a Palestinian archeologist and an ex-Prisoner, who hatch a plan to steal back priceless antiquities from Israel’s former Defense Minister, Moshe Dayan. Over several decades, Dayan had pilfered antiquities from Palestinian lands and with them, Palestine’s own history. Theft of Fire is a heist documentary unlike any other that will force viewers to confront the question of what separates fact from fiction.

amer shomali

Director

Director’s Statement

“Theft of Fire” seamlessly blends fiction and non-fiction filmmaking techniques to tell a thrilling story about a Palestinian archeologist and an ex-prisoner trying to steal their nation’s history back. Like any good heist film, it needs someone to hatch the plan, the director, and then his crew to execute. Our film draws inspiration from formally daring documentaries like “The Thin Blue Line” and “American Splendor” to use re-enactments to drive the film’s narrative. Those re-enactments are cinematic and thrilling, like any good heist film. We complement that re-enactment narrative with carefully placed documentary digressions that rely mostly on interviews and archival elements. This film is itself a heist for Palestinians to recover both a truth and in it, hope. Because in the end, as Palestinians, what options do we really have?

Rashid Abdelhamid

Producer

Producer’s Note

"Theft of Fire" is currently in the initial stages of development, and we have already secured Canadian co-production. Our Montreal-based partner, Ina Fichman (Intuitive Pictures) has experience in building international co-productions and has already been working with Palestine. In 2014, Ina completed production on the animated documentary feature "The Wanted 18" directed by Amer Shomali and Paul Cowan, which had its world premiere at TIFF. This production partnership is built on our shared objective to submit the film to a major International Film Festivals.

Producer’s Filmography

Made in Palestine project is an independent arts initiative to create and promote contemporary visual art and culture with a focus on Palestine. 

• 2021 (in Development) Producing of the feature film “Theft of Fire” developed by Amer Shomali (Palestine) 

• 2021 (in Development) Producing of the feature film “Once Upon a Time in Gaza” developed by Tarazan and Arab Nasser (Palestine) 

• 2021 (in Development) co-Producing of the feature film “Son of the Streets” developed by Mohammed Almughanni (Palestine) 

• 2020 co-producing of the feature film "Gaza Mon Amour" by Tarazan and Arab Nasser (Official selection in Venice international Film Festival, Official submission lists for the foreign language categories of the Oscars) 
 
 

• 2014 Producing of the feature film "Dégradé" in coproduction with Les Films du Tambour (France) (Official selection in “La Semaine de la Critique” - Cannes Film Festival) 

• 2013 Producing of the short film "Condom Lead" (Official selection in Cannes Film Festival)