Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Dancing in Jaffa

Play trailer Poster for Dancing in Jaffa Released Apr 11, 2014 1h 26m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
88% Tomatometer 41 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Renowned ballroom dancer Pierre Dulaine returns to his native Israel and promotes harmony by teaching dance to three ethnically mixed groups of children.

Where to Watch

Dancing in Jaffa

Dancing in Jaffa

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Dancing in Jaffa uses art to frame a cultural journey that's equal parts entertaining, uplifting, and edifying.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (41) Critics Reviews
Mark Kermode Observer (UK) Despite the whiff of reality TV, only the very hard-hearted could fail to be charmed. Rated: 3/5 Feb 15, 2015 Full Review David Jenkins Little White Lies Medalia is a bit of a natural, but the her film is scrappy and trite. Rated: 2/5 Feb 13, 2015 Full Review Geoffrey Macnab Independent (UK) An uplifting and gently comic documentary. Rated: 3/5 Feb 12, 2015 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com The dancers, as one might expect, are heartfelt and inspirational. Rated: 3.0/4.0 Sep 5, 2020 Full Review Michael J. Casey Boulder Weekly Dulaine knows that if he can get these kids to look each other in the eye, hold each other's hand and accomplish something together, then there is hope for the future. But as with all good stories, it's not that simple. Jun 26, 2019 Full Review Alexa Dalby Dog and Wolf This is a very touching film in both senses of the word. Rated: 3/5 May 31, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (9) audience reviews
Georgan G Lovely documentary about how activities like dance can bring children together despite their differences. Nice to see some adults become more open, too. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/29/23 Full Review Audience Member When there is as little hope as there currently is for peace in the Middle East, one looks to the future and does what they can. Here a dance competition aims to cultivate some hope for the future. Time will tell. CDW Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member excellent,wonderful story. Pierre Dulaine is inspirational and teaches not only ballroom dancing, but kindness and integrity to Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member "Dancing in Jaffa" is an exceptional, beautiful documentary about how to solve thee Middle East crisis one dance at a time. The remarkable element which places this film "over the top," is the way in which we get "inside the heads" of the Palestinian and Israeli students to see how they figure out how to break down the long existing walls of prejudice and hatred and rebuild a new beginning in which they teach their elders how to speak to each other and dance. Bravo and thanks to all who took part in making this most enjoyable film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member I thought this was a extraordinary movie. It was about dance, but much more than that. It showed an honest look at how the Palestinians live and are treated by the people who displaced them. As a Jew, I'm embarrassed by how the Palestinians have been forced from their land, cannot find work, cannot travel freely and for a culture (the Jews) who have been displaced from the beginning of time, it is ironic that the Israelis are treating the Palestinians like vermin. The mother of one of the Israeili-Palestonian children mentions that she overstayed her allowed number of days to visit her family over the border and was punished with not being able to see them for 10 years. However, there was a slight ray of hope in this movie, as Pollyann-ish as it may have seemed, and it was heartbreaking and heart warming to see the changes that came over the children as they learned to dance, interact with each other and shine. I have no illusions that this alone will change attitudes, but it was an honest start. Pierre Dulaine should be commended for trying to bridge this ever-growing gap between cultures who must learn to live together or continue hating one another. I silently wept through much of it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Don't wait for this movie to come to you. Seek it out! Dancing in Jaffa is a masterful gaze of love at young people, and a community, coming alive through the gift of dance. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Dancing in Jaffa

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope 82% 80% Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope Watchlist The Pistol Shrimps 80% 44% The Pistol Shrimps Watchlist Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! 74% 76% Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! Watchlist TRAILER for Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! Reset 71% 44% Reset Watchlist P.S. Jerusalem 100% 67% P.S. Jerusalem Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Renowned ballroom dancer Pierre Dulaine returns to his native Israel and promotes harmony by teaching dance to three ethnically mixed groups of children.
Director
Hilla Medalia
Producer
Hilla Medalia, Diane Nabatoff, Neta Zwebner-Zaibert
Screenwriter
Hilla Medalia, Philip Shane
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
Tiara Blue Films, kNow Productions, Warrior Poets
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
Arabic
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 11, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 31, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$134.5K
Runtime
1h 26m
Most Popular at Home Now