Film
Dancing in Jaffa
Pierre Dulaine brings his ballroom dance program to Jaffa, pairing Israeli-Jewish and Palestinian children as dance partners. It's a quietly powerful documentary about whether shared movement and touch can bridge divides that seem impossible. For anyone who believes small acts of connection matter, even—especially—in places marked by conflict.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you are drawn to warm, hopeful documentaries where the joy comes from watching ordinary kids find their rhythm, and you don't mind the feel-good tone being earned rather than ironic.
Skip it if you want a rigorous account of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, since the film stays close to the dance studio and touches the wider politics only lightly.
What it asks of you: It runs about a hundred minutes and moves at the unhurried pace of a classroom, following the children week by week, so patience with repetition and small victories will pay off.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Mad Hot Ballroom2005
A joyful predecessor that follows ballroom students in New York City competing. Same architect (Pierre Dulaine), different context—pure evidence that dance transforms young lives regardless of setting.
But Less about conflict resolution, more about competition and spectacle. If you want weightier themes, this tilts celebratory.
The Biggest Little Farm2019
Another documentary where someone pursues an idealistic vision against odds. Intimate, patient filmmaking about how systems—whether ecological or social—heal through sustained attention and care.
But Agricultural rather than social. Some find it slow; it rewards patience but doesn't rush to gratification.
Capernaum2018
Lebanese drama about children surviving impossible circumstances in Beirut. Raw, unflinching look at childhood in a fractured Middle Eastern city. Shares Dancing in Jaffa's conviction that children deserve better.
But Bleak and angry where Dancing in Jaffa is hopeful. Emotionally brutal; watching it is not cathartic relief but necessary weight.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Dancing in Jaffa
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Pina2011
Both films argue that dance is not decoration or entertainment but a language for what words fail. Both trust the body to do work the mind cannot.
Wim Wenders' 3D meditation on choreographer Pina Bausch. Not narrative—it's dance itself, filmed to overwhelm the senses. Proves that movement between bodies can be the entire subject of cinema.
But No plot. If you don't already respect dance as profound, the abstraction might feel empty. Some find 3D gimmicky.
More like this (7)
The Act of Killing2012
Documentary about perpetrators of genocide in Indonesia asked to reenact their crimes. Extraordinary premise: can art and performance help us understand the worst in ourselves and others?
But Deeply disturbing and morally complex. Not a film about healing; it's about confrontation. Demands moral stamina.
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire2009
Drama about a severely abused girl finding her way through education and connection. Like Dancing in Jaffa, it trusts that human relationships can interrupt cycles of damage, though in a different register entirely.
But Deeply painful subject matter. Unsparing about trauma; the lightness Dancing in Jaffa finds is absent here.
Moonlight2016
Three-part portrait of a Black queer boy growing up in Miami. Lyrical, attentive to how touch and dance communicate what words cannot. Shares the documentary's belief in embodied connection as survival.
But Deliberately paced and non-narrative. Some find beauty glacial; you have to lean in rather than be swept along.
The Farewell2019
Lulu Wang's comedy-drama about a Chinese family keeping a terminal diagnosis secret. Warm-hearted examination of how culture, ritual, and gathering hold us together across difference.
But Character-driven rather than plot-driven. Its humor is dry; if you want broad comedy, you'll find it subtle.
My Octopus Teacher2020
South African filmmaker documenting a year-long relationship with an octopus. Meditation on connection between utterly different beings, on patience, observation, and what wonder requires of us.
But Some call it slight or self-indulgent. If you want social documentary rather than personal one, it won't satisfy.
Finding Joe2011
Documentary about the life and work of Joseph Campbell and the hero's journey. Philosophical foundation for why stories—and by extension, dance—matter to how we see ourselves.
But Earnest and sometimes kitschy. Heavy on voice-over and celebrity interviews; less rigorously made than the films above.
Blackbird2014
Both films believe that physical contact—dance, touch, presence—can rewire relationships thought irredeemable. Both are about unlearning isolation through the body.
Icelandic drama about two elderly gay men facing mortality and reconciliation. Quiet, tender, about two people learning to touch and speak across decades of damage. Achieves what Dancing in Jaffa does but in reverse—healing a broken partnership, not building a new one.
But Slow-burn character study with minimal plot. Glacial pacing; it asks you to sit with quiet for long stretches. Some find it funeral.
People
Cast
- Pierre DulaineHimself
Directing
- Hilla MedaliaDirector
Writing
- Hilla MedaliaWriter