Bethlehem (2013 film)

Bethlehem (Hebrew: בית לחם Bet Lehem) is a 2013 Israeli drama film directed by Yuval Adler.

The screenplay was written by the director, Yuval Adler, and veteran journalist Ali Waked, following years of in-depth research.

[3] At the heart of the film is the complex relationship between Razi (Tzachi Halevi), the Shin Bet officer in charge of the Bethlehem district, and Sanfur (Shadi Mar’i), the younger brother of Ibrahim, the commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in the city.

The script went through multiple drafts and was heavily influenced by research that the two conducted concomitantly to writing it, interviewing both Israeli Shin Bet operatives and Palestinian militants from Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and Hamas.

Halevi was discovered just weeks before filming began; he was an aspiring singer who had just finished appearing on the first season of Israeli singing competition show The Voice Israel, where he had reached the final four.

Shadi Mar'i in Bethlehem