The QUARTERS is a film project that brings together four renowned directors from across the globe – Todd Solondz (Happiness, Welcome to the Dollhouse), Anna Muylaert (The Second Mother, Don't Call me Son), Mohsen Makhmalbaf (Kandahar, Salaam Cinema), and Arsinee Khanjian (Ararat, A ma soeur), to tell the story of Jerusalem’s Old City and its four quarters: Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian. Each director will tell a contemporary story in a different quarter of the Old City- four shorts that will coalesce into one full-length feature film.
Crammed into one square kilometer between East and West Jerusalem, the Old City is a vast labyrinth where culture, identity and conflict are constantly at play. It is a place of beauty and divinity, yet full of mystery and enigmas. It is a treasure chest of stories waiting to be told.
The film intends to challenge different notions of identity, while showing the variety and color of the city. These human stories are closely intertwined with the city of Jerusalem and depicted against its rich canvas. The film will try to engage with the rifts and paradoxes of this important and much-contested place.
The project is the initiative of Green Productions and Impulse Pictures (Israel), in collaboration with Six Island Productions (Canada) and Migdal Films (Brazil), together with Eran Riklis (The Human Resources Manager, Dancing Arabs), the project's Artistic Director.
This project is supported by United King Films in collaboration with the Jerusalem Film Festival, who are hosting the directors this year during the Festival. The directors will have the opportunity to scout the quarters and work on their scripts.
The film will be shot in the summer of 2018 and will be released during 2019.