Alexander Stenzel

They come from Romanian villages and the slums of Skopje: legendary Roma orchestras from Eastern Europe, singers and brass bands from the Balkans.

A hundred years ago, the British and French colonial powers together redrew the borders of the Middle East, foreshadowing some of the chaos of today.

Where is the Middle East one year after Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel? Is there a prospect of peace? What could this solution look like? Or is the war spreading? These big questions are in the background of the two personal stories in this documentary. Israeli Gil Dickmann is fighting for the release of his cousin Carmel. She was abducted as a hostage in the Gaza Strip during the Palestinian terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Between fear, frustration and hope, Gil has become one of the spokespeople for the hostage families, who are putting pressure on the Israeli government of Prime Minister Netanyahu with numerous protests and actions. In the Gaza Strip, too, people are desperately hoping for such an agreement that could end the war and the deaths. 14-year-old Usaama lost 19 family members in an Israeli attack. He himself survived with serious injuries, but even after several operations he cannot walk.