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Film & Talk: HAPPY HOLIDAYS

KHM
Still from “Happy Holidays” by Scandar Copti

Palestinian filmmaker Scandar Copti presents his award-winning feature film “Happy Holidays” (2024) at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne (KHM). The screening will be followed by a conversation with the director.

Mittwoch, 4. November 2026, 19 Uhr, Aula
Aula der KHM, Filzengraben 2, 50676 Köln
Film & Gespräch auf Englisch / Film & Talk in English Eintritt frei / Free entry
Moderation: Prof. Pia Marais, Markéta Polednová

Set in contemporary Haifa, “Happy Holidays” follows four interconnected characters whose lives become increasingly entangled in a web of family expectations, personal secrets, and conflicting loyalties. Moving between Palestinian and Jewish-Israeli families, the film explores tensions surrounding gender, generational differences, and cultural identity, revealing how social conventions and political realities shape intimate relationships and individual choices.


Scandar Copti joins the KHM as a guest of the seminar Encounters LAB. Known for his distinctive approach to working with non-professional actors, Copti develops fictional narratives through improvisation and the personal experiences of his performers. The conversation following the screening will explore his collaborative filmmaking methods, the relationship between fiction and lived experience, and his practice as a writer, director, and producer.


“Happy Holidays” premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2024, where it received the Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay. It subsequently won the Golden Star at the Marrakech International Film Festival and the Golden Alexander for Best Feature Film at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. 

“Happy Holidays” by Scandar Copti
PS / DE / FR / IT / QA, 2024, 123 min

Arabic and Hebrew with german and english subtitles

Four interconnected characters share their unique realities, highlighting the complexities between genders, generations, and cultures. Rami, a Palestinian from Haifa, is dealing with his Jewish girlfriend’s sudden change of heart about her planned abortion. His mother, Hanan, is facing a financial crisis and becomes entangled in complications while seeking compensation for her daughter’s Fifi accident. Miri is forced to confront her daughter’s depression while also working to undermine her sister’s pregnancy with Rami. Fifi grapples with the guilt of hiding a secret that risks her family’s reputation and her burgeoning relationship with Dr. Walid.


Scandar Copti is a Palestinian filmmaker and visual artist from Yafa. Renowned for his unique approach to working with non-actors, he teaches this technique at NYU Abu Dhabi and internationally. His work draws on personal experiences and broader societal and political narratives, offering a nuanced perspective on the Palestinian minority in Israel. Copti’s debut feature film, “Ajami”, co-directed with Yaron Shani, received the Camera d’Or Special Mention at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd Academy Awards. He is also the recipient of the Sutherland Trophy.

Editor — Giulia Maion

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