COUNTRIES: Denmark, France, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, Hungary YEAR: 2026 RUNNING TIME: 100 min
DIRECTED BY: Roy Cohen
LANGUAGE(S): Hebrew, Arabic, English
SUBTITLE(S): German
Ages 12 and up (pursuant to § 14 of the JuSchG)
PRODUCER: Serge Gordey
WRITTEN BY: Roy Cohen
EDITED BY: Valentina Cicogna
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Leandro Monti, Zvi Landsman, Greg Harriott
MUSIC: Christian Ugenti
Screenings
Synopsis
The “Seeds of Peace” peace camp in Maine, USA, is dedicated to educating young people from conflict-ridden regions about peaceful coexistence. It was here that Roy and Aseel became best friends in the 1990s. Roy is of Arab-Jewish descent, and Aseel is an Israeli Palestinian. The two friends believed in a shared homeland free of violence until Aseel was killed by an Israeli police officer in 2000. Roy is left with a deep wound and many unanswered questions. In search of moral clarity amid growing injustice, Roy writes *FAR FROM MAINE*, a “cinematic letter” to his late friend. In memory of Aseel’s courage and activism, through conversations with other participants at the summer camp in Maine, and in discussions with his family, Roy searches for answers. In doing so, he takes a nuanced, honest, and empathetic look at the developments in his country and the devastating war in Gaza.
“An appeal for dialogue at a time of increasing radicalization.” Film Fest Munich
Links /Contacts
INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/farfrommaine
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Temps noir, Far from Maine Film
WORLD SALES: Temps noir
Director
Roy Cohen
Biography
Roy COHEN (1984, Israel) is a filmmaker, writer and activist based in Tel Aviv. A Film Independent and Dok.Incubator fellow; he is the recipient of the Clayton-Goldrich Award. His documentary work examines power, identity and the legacies of political violence. His previous film, Machine of Human Dreams (2016), premiered at CPH:DOX and DOC NYC. Cohen writes regularly for the Israeli-Palestinian publication 972, and his essays have appeared in outlets including The Guardian, Freitag and The Montreal Review. His documentary project Far From Maine (2026), developed at the 2023 Thessaloniki Documentary Festival’s Pitching Forum, follows an Israeli man confronting the long-suppressed death of his Palestinian friend.
Filmography
Real Value (2014), Machine of Human Dreams (2016), Far From Maine (2026)