RPF Grantee

Gesher Multicultural Film Fund

  • Project

    Madrase

  • Program Area

    Arts & Culture /

    Bridging Communities /

    Film /

    Media Fund for Coexistence

  • Year

    2022

  • Amount

    $75,000

  • Description

    Fifteen years ago, RPF’s funding helped launch writer-director Sayed Kashua’s hit TV show Arab Labor. The critically acclaimed series, which ran for four seasons and aired in both Israel and the U.S., marked the first time the story of an Arab Israeli family was shown in Arabic on Israeli TV. The program was—and remains—celebrated for breaking down stereotypes and increasing the visibility and humanization of Arab Israelis. Now, Kashua is ready to debut his next project with similar goals; he is currently developing Madrase, a half-hour TV show set in a bilingual Jewish-Arab high school in Jerusalem. Madrase will air its first 20 episodes on Israel’s KAN 11 station in fall 2022. Like Arab Labor, Madrase is supported by the Gesher Multicultural Film Fund (GMFF) dedicated to bringing stories that can help illuminate unfamiliar cultures to the screen.

    Photograph courtesy of Dolev Marsiano