It is the winner in the Orizzonti section for Best Screenplay at the 81st Venice International Film Festival – Biennale di Venezia, it is an intense and contemporary work that interweaves family stories, set in the city of Haifa, and is the second film by a director nominated for an Oscar with his debut film. RaiPlay announces the arrival of Happy Holidays, the film written and directed by Scandar Copti and set in the Palestinian city of Haifa.
“The idea for this film – says Copti – was born from a conversation overheard by chance in his youth, which revealed how deeply rooted certain social and cultural values are in people. With Happy Holidays my aim – continues Copti – is to critically examine these mechanisms and their impact on the values of individuals through two stories that are intertwined, but told from four different perspectives. In this way I hope to stimulate conversations on the values and beliefs that shape our lives and to encourage viewers to rethink their own standards of life. No one is truly free until women are free, and no one is truly free until we are all free.”
Here’s everything you need to know
Happy Holidays, the plot, the cast and the production
Written and directed by Scandar Copti, Happy Holidays is produced by Fresco Films, Red Balloon Film, Tessalit Productions and Intramovies. The cast includes Manar Shehab, Wafaa Aoun, Meirav Memoresky, Toufic Danial.
Happy Holidays, the plot
Set amidst the complexities of intercultural and intergenerational relationships, Happy Holidays follows four characters whose lives intersect in unexpected ways. The story tells of an Israel prior to the events of October 7, 2024, in which, however, tensions between Arabs and Jews are already evident. In this scenario, the difficult relationships between the protagonists develop in a highly patriarchal social context, with consequences that especially limit women’s freedom. Rami, a young Palestinian from Haifa, has to deal with the fact that his Jewish girlfriend has suddenly changed her mind about terminating her pregnancy. Hanan, Rami’s mother, faces a financial crisis and finds herself entangled in complications when she seeks compensation for her daughter Fifi’s accident. Miri deals with her teenage daughter’s depression while trying to help resolve her sister’s pregnancy when she is pregnant with Rami. Fifi struggles with guilt over hiding a secret that jeopardizes her family’s reputation and her budding relationship with Dr. Walid.
Happy Holidays, when it comes out
The film debuts in streaming on April 11, 2026 exclusively on RaiPlay.
