Every day, Sarah cares for other people’s babies at the Children’s Health Center in Haifa’s impoverished, multi-ethnic Halisa neighborhood in Haifa, but she also yearns for a child of her own. After two years of failed attempts, her desperate desire for motherhood collides with the struggles of a young mother, culminating in a risky decision with potentially devastating consequences.  

Director’s Statement: Setting the plot of my film in the vibrant environment of Halisa’s Family Health Center allows me to tell the stories of forgotten mothers. The women who meet there are Israeli–born Jews, Muslim or Christian Arabs, Russians or Ethiopians and expose a feminine microcosm in the Israeli society. “Halisa” is an intimate, poetic, and realistic film about the complexity of motherhood… I believe there is a deep connection between how we choose to take care of our children and the type of society we live in.

Sophie Artus is a filmmaker with a profound commitment to social issues. Her debut feature “Valley” won awards at Haifa IFF and Cinema Jove Valencia. Her second film, “Halisa” received 5 Israeli Academy Awards nominations, including Best Feature Film and Best Actress. Artus holds an MFA in Cinema from The Steve Tisch School of Film and Television.

Official Selection, Mar del Plata International Film Festival 2024 

WINNER, Jury Prize, Haifa International Film Festival 2025 

Nominated in 5 Categories, Israeli Academy Awards 2024

Co-sponsors: College of Arts and Letters, James Madison College, College of Social Science, Residential College of Arts and Humanities, International Studies and Programs, Center for Gender in Global Context,, Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures, Asian Studies Center, and the Film Studies Program