GJFF to show The Sea this February

GREENVILLE, SC –  The next Pop-Up Movie from the Greenville Jewish Film Festival is the South Carolina premier of “The Sea” on Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 4  pm at Camelot Cinemas in Greenville.

“The Sea” offers a deceptively simple premise: a headstrong12-year-old boy from a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank illegally enters Israel on his own to see the sea. 

Director-writer Shai Carmeli Pollak uses this foundation to expose painful realities of the occupation.  Made as a collaboration between Jewish and Palestinian Israelis, the film becomes a deeply humanist tale about borders, permits, the interdependent economies of two neighbors and the power of the dominant language.

Tickets can be purchased here (https://greenvillejewishfilmfestival.com/pop-up-movies/). Adult tickets are $18, and student tickets are $14. Both include popcorn and a fountain drink. Students can email info@greenvillejewishfilmfestival.com for the discount code. 

The Arabic-language drama was released in Israel in July 2025. In September, it won five Ophir Awards (Israel’s version of the Oscars) including for best picture. “The Sea” is also Israel’s submission into the Academy Awards for best international feature film.  In addition, The Sea is the winner of two Awards and a Special Mention at the Jerusalem Film Festival.

From the Director’s Statement - “Amid today’s violent and brutal reality, this film moves audiences to tears. Perhaps because it presents something that feels so absent in our world today; compassion and love for all human beings. These are the very things The Sea offers in abundance, straight from the heart.”

About The Greenville Jewish Film Festival:

The Greenville Jewish Film Festival, established in 2018, hopes to inspire the community to see beyond differences, and instead, connect over the ties that bind everyone – respect, love and humanity. The selection of movies allows for an opportunity to think critically and feel powerful. Learn more at www.greenvillejewishfilmfestival.com.