Ahmad the Movie Star

1966. The premiere of Ram Loevy’s first film, I am Ahmad, sparks a public outcry. Viewers rise, denouncing it as “a knife in the back of the State of Israel.” The short, humanistic film—about a young Arab boy who comes to Tel Aviv seeking work and faces discrimination—is the first in Israeli cinema to center on an Arab character. Despite prior approval, the Film and Theatre Review Board demands cuts, and the controversy only fuels interest. Then, as now, placing an Arab character at the center continues to provoke fear and calls for censorship.