Salata Baladi - Cinéma Arabe

They live in Egypt, but filmmaker Nadia Kamel's family constitutes an extraordinary mix of cultures and religions, which is why she refers to it as a 'mixed salad' (salata baladi). Her mother Mary was born of a Jewish father and an Italian Catholic mother and converted to Islam in order to marry a Muslim. She recounts her life story to her grandson Nabil as she takes him and Nadia on a trip to Italy to visit some relatives. She eventually decides to go to Israel to visit family members she has not seen in 50 years.

Spontaneous questions from Nabil highlight how the family history reflects parts of 20th-century world history that are often neglected, including border changes and migration flows. Still, no matter what language they speak, it’s always with warmth and tolerance.