In the Druze mountain villages between Syria and Israel, Kamel, a respected sheik, must make an impossible decision between family and duty when his estranged brother returns to the Golan Heights after 47 years in exile.

This absorbing fiction debut from Syrian filmmaker Ehab Tarabieh pursues complexity without compromise, portraying the thick silences that scaffold political conflict onto personal lives, no matter how long they have been kept isolated. Thoughtfully shaped by the uncompromising circumstance of military occupation, and backed by seasoned performances, "The Taste of Apples Is Red" treats the telling of truth with the brave attention it deserves.

The film was screened at this year's Toronto Film Festival.