Alia is an ageing Moroccan immigrant in Israel who cannot leave the confines of her council flat because her deteriorating health prevents her from climbing down a small flight of stairs. For ten long, hard years Alia fought to acquire her home from the State of Israel and now, half a century later, this same home has become her prison. But Alia is determined to live. Despite the physical and linguistic barriers that isolate her from society, she manages to expand her narrowing world using a variety of artistic activities. In a continuous visual journey spanning a decade, Alia weaves her memoirs like a rich and colorful quilt, encompassing the collective stories of the Jewish Moroccan immigrant community in Israel and of all women at the fringes of society.
"Alia" is an Arabic name meaning "sublime" or "exalted" but also a variant of the Hebrew word "Aliyah" meaning "ascension" used to describe the act of immigrating to Israel and, in ancient times, of making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Starring Alia Edery
Filmed, Edited and Directed by Noam Edry
Additional Photography: Yaniv Shmeltzer
Spanish Translation: Lea Edry
Subtitles: Hebrew, English
Winner of the Accolade Global Film Award of Recognition 2015
Shortlisted for the Israeli Documentary Film Award 2015 of the Israeli Documentary Filmmakers Forum
Film Festivals: Libi Bamizrach - Heart at East Festival, Tel-Aviv // Accolade Global Film Awards, California // WDIFF - Women's Director International Film Festival, New Delhi // Culture Unplugged Festival
The CDA's archives are operating with the support of the Ostrovsky Family Fund and Artis
