01In brief
Strangers is a 2007 Israeli feature film directed and written by Erez Tadmor and Guy Nattiv, starring Liron Levo and Lubna Azabal. The film follows Eyal, an Israeli kibbutznik, and Rana, a Palestinian woman living in Paris, who meet by chance in Germany during the World Cup and develop an unlikely romance against the backdrop of the Second Lebanon War. Produced by UCM Film of Tel Aviv with support from the Israel Film Fund, it was the production company's debut feature and was sold in 26 countries despite limited success within Israel.
02Overview
Eyal, a young Israeli kibbutznik, travels to Berlin to meet his German girlfriend during the FIFA World Cup, while Rana, a Palestinian woman based in Paris, comes to Germany to support the French national team.[1] The two meet by chance on the Berlin subway and end up sharing an apartment, spending three intense days together as the tournament's final approaches.[1] What begins as an unlikely cohabitation becomes a love story; when Rana must return to Paris, Eyal decides to follow her there.[1]
Their brief but turbulent affair continues from Berlin to Paris against the backdrop of the Second Lebanon War.[3] Walla Culture characterized the film as a Jewish-Arab answer to Romeo and Juliet, calling theirs "an almost impossible love story" between young people from opposing sides.[2]
03Origins
Strangers was directed and written by Erez Tadmor and Guy Nattiv and produced by Hillel Michaeli, Abraham Perahi, and Tami Leon for UCM Film of Tel Aviv, with support from the Israel Film Fund. The cast includes Liron Levo, Lubna Azabal, Abdullah El Akal, Dominique Lollia, Patrick Albane, Clémence Thioly, Stéphane Pouillot, and Mila Dekker.[1]
The feature developed from an earlier short film of the same title, an early collaboration between Nattiv and Tadmor.[5][6] The Times of Israel separately describes Nattiv's first Strangers as a seven-minute 2003 film made in his backyard.[7]
04Practice
Accounts differ on the state of the screenplay when production began. Producer Abraham Perahi said the directors entered production with an unfinished screenplay, calling the undertaking "a major gamble" that depended on the actors and directors, although he concluded that "in the end it came out perfect."[4] In a 2014 retrospective, Tadmor and Nattiv described the full-length production as a low-budget undertaking and said Strangers had no written screenplay or scripted dialogue. They developed the plot as they went, stayed in a friend's apartment in Berlin, and moved between locations without permits.[5]
The feature was filmed according to Dogme principles, without artificial aids such as constructed sets or artificial lighting. A Ynet reviewer found that the method sometimes gave the picture a distinctive and refreshing appearance, while at other points making it feel somewhat tiresome.[3]
05Significance
Strangers has an approximate runtime of 81 minutes and was distributed in Israel by NMC United.[3] The DVD edition featured a music video for the theme song, an audio commentary with the filmmakers and Liron Levo, a trailer, a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, an alternative ending, and the filmmakers' short films Strangers and Offside.[3]
The Ynet reviewer praised the performances of Liron Levo and Lubna Azabal and the honesty of their dialogue, while characterizing the film's story and political message as simplistic. The review concluded that although Strangers was not a cinematic masterpiece, it was an impressive feature debut that retained an original spirit and could surprise viewers.[3] Producer Abraham Perahi reported that the film had limited success in Israel but was sold in 26 countries.[4]
The film was included in a Smith College course titled Forbidden Love: Negotiating Social Boundaries on Film. The syllabus placed it in a unit examining the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through stories of forbidden love and social boundary crossing.[8]
06Controversies
Sources differ over the dating of both the feature and its predecessor. A 2014 Ynet article dates the short film to 2003, while EDB lists it as a 2004 production.[5][6] EDB records that the short won Sundance's Best Short Film award in 2004, as well as awards at Palm Springs and Aspen Shortsfest.[6]
Walla Culture and EDB date the feature to 2007.[2][6] By contrast, the Smith College syllabus lists Strangers under 2006.[8] The shared title also creates ambiguity in award references. A 2012 Ynet article says Strangers won a Sundance Jury Prize without specifying the year or clearly identifying whether it means the short or feature.[9] EDB explicitly associates its documented Sundance award with the short and does not establish that the feature received that recognition.[6]
Sources
- 1Habama, Theater - 7 Features Compete for Volgine, accessed on October 7, 2026.
- 2Walla! Culture, The Good Arab, accessed on October 7, 2026.
- 3Ynet, Coming in Pairs, accessed on October 7, 2026.
- 4Globes, Put This Very Well in Your Head, accessed on October 7, 2026.
- 5Ynet, Directing Together: Legitimate Cinematic Couples, accessed on October 7, 2026.
- 6EDB Israeli Movie Database, Erez Tadmor - Review, Films and Series, accessed on October 7, 2026.
- 7The Times of Israel, accessed on October 7, 2026.
- 8Jewish Virtual Library, Forbidden Love syllabus, accessed on October 7, 2026.
- 9Ynet, On the Way to the Screen: Guy Nattiv and Erez Tadmor Head to Thessaloniki, accessed on October 7, 2026.
IsraelPedia Question & Answers
What is the 2007 Israeli film Strangers about?
Strangers is a 2007 Israeli feature film directed and written by Erez Tadmor and Guy Nattiv, starring Liron Levo and Lubna Azabal. The film follows Eyal, an Israeli kibbutznik, and Rana, a Palestinian woman living in Paris, who meet by chance in Germany during the World Cup and develop an unlikely romance against the backdrop of the Second Lebanon War. It was produced by UCM Film of Tel Aviv with support from the Israel Film Fund and was sold in 26 countries despite limited success within Israel.
How did the story of Strangers develop from Berlin to Paris?
Eyal travels to Berlin during the FIFA World Cup to meet his German girlfriend, while Rana comes to Germany to support the French national team. The two meet by chance on the Berlin subway and end up sharing an apartment for three intense days. When Rana must return to Paris, Eyal decides to follow her, and their turbulent affair continues across both cities against the backdrop of the Second Lebanon War.
Did Strangers originate from an earlier work?
Strangers developed from an earlier short film of the same title, which was an early collaboration between directors Guy Nattiv and Erez Tadmor. The Times of Israel describes Nattiv's first Strangers as a seven-minute 2003 film made in his backyard.
How was Strangers filmed, and did it have a completed screenplay?
Strangers was filmed according to Dogme principles, without artificial aids such as constructed sets or artificial lighting. In a 2014 retrospective, Tadmor and Nattiv described it as a low-budget undertaking with no written screenplay or scripted dialogue. They developed the plot as they went, stayed in a friend's apartment in Berlin, and moved between locations without permits. Producer Abraham Perahi called the approach "a major gamble" but concluded that "in the end it came out perfect."
How was Strangers received critically and commercially?
A Ynet reviewer praised the performances of Liron Levo and Lubna Azabal and the honesty of their dialogue, while characterizing the film's story and political message as simplistic. The review concluded that Strangers was not a cinematic masterpiece but was an impressive feature debut that retained an original spirit. Producer Abraham Perahi reported that the film had limited success in Israel but was sold in 26 countries.
Is there confusion over when Strangers and its predecessor were made?
Sources differ on the dating of both films. A 2014 Ynet article dates the short film to 2003, while EDB lists it as a 2004 production. For the feature, Walla Culture and EDB date it to 2007, while a Smith College syllabus lists it under 2006. The shared title between the short and the feature also creates ambiguity in award references, including an unresolved reference in a 2012 Ynet article to a Sundance Jury Prize that does not clearly identify which film received it.