Far From Maine

Israeli filmmaker Roy Cohen revisits the memory of Aseel Asleh, his Palestinian childhood friend and fellow activist who was killed by Israeli police in 2000 at the age of 17. Meeting in Maine as teenagers at the renowned Seeds Of Peace International Camp, they quickly forged a friendship grounded in curiosity, humor, and a shared belief in coexistence. An ideal that feels increasingly fragile in the present day. Blending archival footage, personal reflection, and present-day encounters, Cohen composes a cinematic letter to his deceased friend, searching for moral guidance in the face of escalating violence and injustice. As past and present enter into conversation, the film becomes both a deeply personal act of remembrance and a broader meditation on grief, accountability, and political responsibility. With the optimism of their youth set against the stark realities of the present, Cohen reflects on the devastating toll of political violence, crafting a moving exploration of friendship, memory, and the struggle to hold onto hope under impossible circumstances. —Lori Donnelly

West Coast Premiere

Roy Cohen is an award-winning filmmaker and journalist based in Tel Aviv. A Film Independent Fellow, he has directed Far from Maine (2026, International Film Festival Rotterdam), Machine of Human Dreams (2016, DOC NYC, CPH), and Real Value (2014). His work has been screened at international festivals and spans documentary filmmaking focused on social and political themes. As a journalist, Cohen writes regularly for Israeli-Palestinian publications 972 Magazine and Mekomit, and his work has also appeared in The Guardian, El Mercurio, and Freitag. He holds a BA from Harvard University and an MA from Cornell University.