Directed by Jessica Habie ∙ 2013 ∙ Palestinian Territory - Canada - United States ∙ 75'

With evocative cinematography, MARS AT SUNRISE tells the story of a war waged on the imagination. Jessica Habie's debut film surrealistically portrays the conflict between artists on either side of the militarized borders imposed by Israel on Palestine, and explores how a powerful creative mind survives, and even thrives, under pressure.

When Azzadeh, a young Jewish-American poet, travels to Israel to see the land and people she has only ever heard about through the voices of others, she uncovers stories of Israeli soldiers who reflect on the complexity of their military service. Azzadeh is confronted with Palestinian families who are displaced and wedged between the illegal separation wall erected by Israel around the West Bank.

While waiting at a checkpoint in Jenin, Azzadeh meets Khaled, a Palestinian painter forced from his home in East Jerusalem. As she discovers, artists from both cultures strive to paint a picture of life surrounded by conflict.