Inheritance (2012 film)
# Inheritance (2012 film)

Inheritance (French: Héritage) is a 2012 drama film directed by and starring Hiam Abbass in her feature film directorial debut. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival and Haifa International Film Festival.

## Plot

A Palestinian family living in a small Muslim village in Galilee gathers to celebrate the wedding of one of their daughters, as war rages between Israel and Lebanon. Its many members symbolise a community struggling to maintain its identity, torn between modernity and tradition. In the midst of it all is a forbidden love story between the youngest daughter, Hajar (Hafsia Herzi), who has returned from studying abroad, and her Christian lover (Tom Payne). When their father falls into a coma and inches toward death, internal conflicts explode and the familial battles become as merciless as the outside war.

## Cast

* Hafsia Herzi as Hajar
* Hiam Abbass as Samira
* Yussef Abu Warda as Khalil
* Ashraf Barhom as Ahmad
* Ruba Blal as Saada
* Clara Khoury as Salma
* Makram Khoury as Abu Majd
* Khalifa Natour as Majd
* Tom Payne as Matthew
* Lina Soualem as Alya
* Mouna Soualem as Lana
* Ali Suliman as Marwan
* Ula Tabari as Zeinab
* G. A. Wasi as Cousin Ali

## Production

Abbass has stated: "Generally, when you are speaking about Palestinians, you think of them in Ramallah, or the refugees in Syria. Instead I wanted to tell this important part of society: the Palestinians of Israel, who feel partially excluded from the country in which they live, which is why they try and preserve their identity through a strong family structure which makes them feel at home."

