Ackland Film Forum, ‘3000 Nights’ (Palestine, 2016)

Inspired by a true story and shot in a real prison, director Mai Masri’s 3000 Nights traces a young mother’s journey of hope, resilience and survival against all odds. Accused of helping a teenage boy on the run, newlywed Palestinian schoolteacher Layal finds herself incarcerated in a top security Israeli prison for Palestinian and Israeli women. After Layal discovers that she is pregnant, the prison director pressures her to abort the baby and spy on the Palestinian inmates. Terrified but defiant, Layal gives birth to her child in chains.

Through her struggle to raise her son behind bars, Layal manages to find a sense of hope and meaning to her life. When prison conditions deteriorate and the Palestinian prisoners decide to strike, the prison director warns her against joining the strike and threatens to take her child away. In a moment of truth, Layal is forced to make a choice that will forever change her life.

The film will be presented with introductory remarks from Nadia Yaqub, professor in the Department of Asian Studies.

Tickets are free with a UNC One Card or $7. Tickets are available at the Varsity Theatre.

The Ackland Film Forum’s Fall 2019 series Recent Films by Arab Women Filmmakers is organized by the UNC Department of Asian Studies, the UNC Global Cinema Studies program in the Department of English and Comparative Literature, and the Ackland Art Museum. The series is presented in connection with the Ackland’s current exhibition She Who Tells a Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World .