Lyd

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2:26

Lyd

2024

1h 18m

Documentary

Fantasy

History

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8 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

Lyd is a speculative documentary that follows the rise and fall of Lyd -- a 5,000-year-old metropolis that was once a bustling Palestinian town until it was conquered when the State of Israel was established in 1948. As the film unfolds, a chorus of characters creates a tapestry of the Palestinian experience of this city and the trauma left by the massacre and expulsion, while vivid animations envision an alternate reality where the same characters live free from the trauma of the past and the violence of the present. Using never-before-seen archival footage of the Israeli soldiers who carried out the massacre and expulsion, the personified city explains that these events were so devastating that they fractured reality, and now there are two Lyds -- one occupied and one free. As the film cuts between fantastical and documentary realities, it ultimately leaves the viewer questioning which future should prevail. Lyd dares to ask the question: what would the city be like had the Israeli occupation of Lyd never happened?

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Kathy Fennessy

Video Librarian Magazine

Mar 23, 2026

3.5/5

Though it may prove controversial in some quarters, the film was made by directors of Israeli, Jewish, and Palestinian descent--[Rami] Younis grew up in Lyd--who are simply unafraid to dream big.

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Stephen A. Russell

Orion's Shoulder (Substack)

Dec 31, 2024

An epic fusion of documentary detail with luminous futurism

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Perry Norton

Film Threat

Dec 16, 2024

5/10

This film does bring something new to the table, but it is ultimately brought low by a barely executed theme and uneven content of unclear provenance.

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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

Nov 23, 2024

Contextualizing history and personal histories are combined to create a shared, living history that encompasses everything before 1948 and the on-going struggle against extermination – of culture, of people, and of dreams – that has happened since.

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Joshua Polanski

Boston Hassle

Oct 18, 2024

An imaginative statement-making film that flips through speculative history to find a brave new reality where Palestinians are free and Jewish immigration to Palestine occurs peaceably and even welcomely instead of through ethnic cleansing and war.

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Pat Mullen

POV Magazine

Jun 26, 2024

Ambitiously tackling perhaps the most controversial geopolitical issue in the world, and doing so in under 80 minutes, the filmmakers offer a provocative cri de coeur for a free Palestine.

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Joud L

@RT63360393 Feb 8, 2025

The narration was beautifully done, helping to contextualize not only the stories of those currently living in Lyd and those in the diaspora but also the city itself and how things could have been. It gently touches on recent events and ongoing issues in the region. The film powerfully showcases the struggles and trauma that those living in Al-Lyd experience and continuously endure, capturing their resilience and pain with raw authenticity. As a Palestinian from Al-Lyd in the diaspora, this film will forever hold a special place in my heart and serve as a visual story to pass down to future generations. May we one day return and see a free Lyd. Amazing work, Rami Younis and Sarah Ema Friedland!

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Synopsis

Lyd is a speculative documentary that follows the rise and fall of Lyd -- a 5,000-year-old metropolis that was once a bustling Palestinian town until it was conquered when the State of Israel was established in 1948. As the film unfolds, a chorus of characters creates a tapestry of the Palestinian experience of this city and the trauma left by the massacre and expulsion, while vivid animations envision an alternate reality where the same characters live free from the trauma of the past and the violence of the present. Using never-before-seen archival footage of the Israeli soldiers who carried out the massacre and expulsion, the personified city explains that these events were so devastating that they fractured reality, and now there are two Lyds -- one occupied and one free. As the film cuts between fantastical and documentary realities, it ultimately leaves the viewer questioning which future should prevail. Lyd dares to ask the question: what would the city be like had the Israeli occupation of Lyd never happened?

Director: Rami Younis, Sarah Ema Friedland
Producer: Rami Younis, Sarah Ema Friedland, Roger Waters, Sawsan Asfari, Fivel Rothberg, Amer Salim Huneidi, Sahar Salim Huneidi, Isam Khalil Dahmash, Nancy Kalow, Reda Sebasi
Screenwriter: Rami Younis, Sarah Ema Friedland, Eyas Salman, Rami Younis, Sarah Ema Friedland, Eyas Salman
Distributor: Icarus Films
Production Co: Cocoon Films, Perinspire
Genre: Documentary, Fantasy, History
Original Language: Arabic
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 26, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 21, 2024
Runtime: 1h 18m

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