| Beyond the Walls | |
| Director: | Uri Barbash |
| Producer: | Rudy Cohen Katriel Schori |
| Starring: | Arnon Zadok Mohammed Bakri Assi Dayan Rami Danon |
| Music: | Ilan Virtzberg |
| Cinematography: | Amnon Salomon |
| Editing: | Tova Asher |
| Runtime: | 103 minutes |
| Country: | Israel |
| Language: | Hebrew |
| Gross: | $400,000[1] |
Beyond the Walls (Hebrew: מאחורי הסורגים, MeAhorei HaSoragim, lit. "Behind the Bars") is a 1984 Israeli film directed by Uri Barbash and written by his brother Benny Barbash and Eran Preis. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[2]
The story takes place in the high-security block of the Central Israel Prison Service jail. Uri and Issam are the leaders of the Israeli and Palestinian prisoner groups, respectively. After a musical performance in the prison, a row breaks out between Hoffman, a Jewish inmate, and a Palestinian. When Hoffman is killed, the security officer initiates a fight between the sides, pinning the blame for the murder on Issam's cell. Doron, the only Jewish prisoner in the Arab cell, is asked to sign a document implicating Issam in the crime but refuses and dies by suicide. He leaves a note saying that his cell was not responsible for the crime. As a result, Uri and Issam begin a general hunger strike and make personal sacrifices in order not to break it.