Swallows Never Die in Jerusalem (1994): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1994, Swallows Never Die in Jerusalem is a drama film directed by Ridha Behi, running about 84 minutes.

What it’s about. Both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are sensitively explored in the Tunisian-French drama. Richard, a French TV journalist has been assigned to do a political story in Jerusalem the night before Yitzhak Rabin and Yasir Arafat sign their peace accord. Richard is glad to go as it gives him a chance to see his girlfriend Esther, a psychologist. Esther's father Moshe is continually tormented by his Holocaust memories. Hammoudi, nicknamed "Local Radio," is Richard's taxi driver and guide. He tells Richard the story of his family which was uprooted in 1948 resulting in the disappearance of his grandmother. Mysteriously, her picture appeared in a recent Arabic newspaper. Richard, intrigued, decides to center his investigations upon "Local Radio's" story. As he delves deeper into their lives he discovers that the ancient rivalries between the Israeli's and Palestinians is far too deep and complex to be easily explained away.

Who’s in it. Swallows Never Die in Jerusalem stars Jacques Perrin as Richard, Salim Daw as Hammoudi, aka 'Radio Locale', Salim Dau as Hammoudi, aka 'Radio Locale' and Youssef Aiani, among others.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Swallows Never Die in Jerusalem page.

If you liked it. Fans of Swallows Never Die in Jerusalem tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.