far from maine (2026)
Directed by Roy Cohen
Production: Serge Godey/Temps Noir (France)
Feature Documentary (100 mins)
Roy Cohen is an Arab-Jewish, queer Israeli filmmaker and journalist. At the heart of Far from Maine is his enduring bond with Aseel Asleh, a Palestinian friend he met as a teenager at a peace camp in Maine. Their friendship, rooted in political engagement and a shared belief in coexistence based on justice and equality, shaped both of their early lives.
In 2000, that friendship was violently severed when Aseel was shot dead by Israeli police during protests in Jerusalem. His death went largely unacknowledged in Israeli society, leaving Roy with lingering trauma and unresolved questions about loyalty to their friendship, memory, and the country he lived in.
Decades later, as violence escalates and the genocide in Gaza unfolds, Roy confronts this past through a cinematic letter addressed directly to Aseel. The film moves fluidly between archival material, reflections on the Maine peace camp, and present-day encounters with friends, activists, and thinkers, creating a dialogue across time. It examines how personal loss intersects with collective violence, and how memory can become a way for holding space for truth in a dark time.
A European co-production between six countries, Far from Maine never accepted any Israeli public or private funding. Produced by Serge Gordey (Five Broken Cameras), the film is an intimate, politically grounded exploration of friendship, grief, and moral reckoning.