In its most powerful form, Art makes whoever’s watching see the world through different eyes and ask uncomfortable questions about society. Across the world, film festivals seek to provide a platform for movies that do exactly that, and in 2021 one of these movies was Ahed’s Knee. The incisive drama won over the Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival by telling a semi-autobiographical story about a film director who decides to speak out against censorship in his home country Israel.

The trailer for Ahed’s Knee reveals that the independent movie aims to find the balance between comedy and drama by pointing out absurd situations that highlight the hypocrisy that often accompanies censorship. For Y the Director (Avshalom Pollak), the turning point comes when he’s forced to sign a document that determines what he can say at a screening of his own film, otherwise he doesn’t get paid. To add insult to injury, the movie is a last homage to his mother, who co-wrote the story and died before the release, so in theory he should be able to say whatever he wants about the project.

Aside from standing out at Cannes, Ahed’s Knee was also included in the Official Selection of other renowned film festivals such as AFI Fest, Toronto Film Festival, New York Film Festival, and BFI London. Ironically (or not so ironically, considering the premise), Ahed’s Knee earned multiple nominations in the 2021’s Israeli Film Academy awards, including Best Film – which suggests that at least a portion of the Israeli population understands and supports the movie’s stand on censorship in the country.

ahed-knee-trailer
Image via Kino Lorber

RELATED: 'A Hero': Cannes-Awarded Iranian Film From Asghar Farhadi Reveals New Trailer Ahead of Oscars Race

Ahed’s Knee is directed by Nadav Lapid, who went through a similar experience told in the story: his mother was an Editor of many of his works and passed away just before the filmmaker started writing his latest movie. Lapid is known for making provocative films that have also been singled out across film festivals, such as Synonyms, about a young man fleeing from Israel, and The Kindergarten Teacher, about a woman protecting a child’s love for the art of poetry.

Ahed’s Knee premieres in theaters on March 18.

You can watch the trailer below:

Check out the official synopsis here:

A celebrated Israeli filmmaker named Y arrives in a remote desert village to present one of his films at a local library. Struggling to cope with the recent news of his mother’s terminal illness, he is pushed into a spiral of rage when the host of the screening, a government employee, asks him to sign a form placing restrictions on what he can say at the film’s Q&A. Told over the course of one day, the film depicts Y as he battles against the loss of freedom in his country and the fear of losing his mother. Nadav Lapid (Berlin Golden Bear winner Synonyms, The Kindergarten Teacher) wrote the film soon after the death of his own mother, who worked as an editor on many of his works. It offers a sharp critique of the censorship, hypocrisy, and violence instigated by Israel and repressive governments everywhere. The fact that it was produced, largely funded, and highly acclaimed in its home country highlights the complexities of a national cinema that refuses to be muzzled, born of the divisions of society itself. Winner of the Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, this boldly shot and conceived work feels as though it has welled up from the depths of its maker’s soul.