critics consensus

Dancing in Jaffa uses art to frame a cultural journey that's equal parts entertaining, uplifting, and edifying. Read critic reviews

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Dancing in Jaffa Photos

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Movie Info

Renowned ballroom dancer Pierre Dulaine returns to his native Israel and promotes harmony by teaching dance to three ethnically mixed groups of children.

Genre:

documentary
Original Language:

Arabic
Director:

Hilla Medalia
Writer:

Hilla Medalia
Release Date (Theaters):

Apr 11, 2014 limited
Release Date (Streaming):

Mar 31, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA):

$134.5K
Runtime:

1h 26m
Production Co:

Tiara Blue Films

Cast & Crew

Hilla Medalia
Director

Hilla Medalia
Screenwriter

News & Interviews for Dancing in Jaffa

Critics Consensus: Rio 2 Fails to Take Flight

View All

Critic Reviews for Dancing in Jaffa

All Critics (41) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (5)

Despite the whiff of reality TV, only the very hard-hearted could fail to be charmed.

February 15, 2015 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
Medalia is a bit of a natural, but the her film is scrappy and trite.

February 13, 2015 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

David Jenkins
Little White Lies
An uplifting and gently comic documentary.

February 12, 2015 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Geoffrey Macnab
Independent (UK)
A well-meaning but shamelessly contrived feel-good documentary.

February 12, 2015 | Full Review…

Wendy Ide
Times (UK)
Exasperatingly trite, but also rather sweet.

February 12, 2015 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

David Parkinson
Empire Magazine
Dulaine is a force for good, and the film's likability outweighs any pessimism or cynicism.

February 12, 2015 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
The dancers, as one might expect, are heartfelt and inspirational.

September 5, 2020 | Rating: 3.0/4.0 | Full Review…

Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
Dulaine knows that if he can get these kids to look each other in the eye, hold each other's hand and accomplish something together, then there is hope for the future. But as with all good stories, it's not that simple.

June 26, 2019 | Full Review…

Michael J. Casey
Boulder Weekly
This is a very touching film in both senses of the word.

May 31, 2019 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Alexa Dalby
Dog and Wolf
This is just a really sweet little documentary.

May 14, 2019 | Rating: 7/10 | Full Review…

Rachel Wagner
Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)
Dancing in Jaffa is a wonderfully insightful documentary that explores a side of geopolitical tensions in a completely new light.

April 4, 2019 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Julia Alexander
CineVue
Although Medalia may oversimplify her subjects, she also has an ability to get out of their way, operating with cinematographer Daniel Kedem with a true fly-on-the-wall style that seems to catch all involved at their most natural.

November 20, 2018 | Full Review…

Stephen Saito
Moveable Fest