crayons of askalan

Imagination and memory were survival tools for 15 year old Zuhdi Al Adawi, imprisoned in 1975 in Israel’s Askalan prison. During his 15 years as a prisoner, Zuhdi transformed his longing for his homeland and family into beautiful drawings he drew in secrecy. In solidarity, his cellmates and their families smuggled in crayons for this young artist and smuggled out more than 70 of his drawings drawn on pillowcases. These colourful drawings come to life in surreal animation sequences integrated throughout this captivating experimental documentary. The film’s dramatized prison scenes are re-enacted by the relatives of the imprisoned men, including Zuhdi’s former cellmate