Are you an actor & dancer by trade, that’s your job?

Yes. I used to be a professional dancer, since I was 8 years old. I was a tap dancer for many years and then I started ballet at 15. At the age of 19 I got into Batsheva Dance Company, which is directed by Ohad Naharin, one of the five top choreographers in the world. Since the last 12 or 13 years I have been acting in theater, films and TV. And I am also a photographer. I am doing a lot exhibitions and video installations. That is how I came to directing this film.

What was the inspiration for the film?

I shot the film not long after the last war we had here in Gaza. It was a very sad war. I am not a political guy. I am not involved in political things. But I decided that I can’t escape my own reality and I have to do something about it. And the film was one of the things that came to me. We set the film in the schoolyard where I went to school 25 years ago. It’s not that I want to make the war look like a children’s game. But the thing about this game is that a few can win if they are smart, if they are funny. The Palestinian does a lot of tricks to the soldiers and slowly they are getting smaller in numbers. That was the most challenging for me to show - how can a few win over the big group. And I felt that the game shows that it can happen. At the end of the day, it’s one on one. They look into each other’s eyes and they do not do anything. Now they have to start a dialog. So it was very important for me not to judge any side. The film is not meant to say anything bad about the Israeli solders. I am not coming from any political point of view. I was really bringing myself into the position of a child watching what’s going on in the country and who translates these actions into his own language. And that’s why the camera is going up on the tree. The tree is very important for me. They are fighting for land. At the end, no one dies and the sound of the kids coming from the schoolyard – that for me is the sign of responsibility that we have for the new generation.

At one point, a soldier rushes forward and accidentally discharges his weapon. What are you suggesting there?

The rules of the game are that if the person at the tree is not looking at you, you run to the tree and get him. So he ran and accidentally fell and there was explosion. This is a moment where I can show that it’s for real. He got accidentally shot. So the danger is real. There are real bullets. It’s not plastic. And even though a game is being played, there are real weapons there. So that’s why I did this scene. And also after he fell, there is solidarity between the solders. This is an important moment for me because the soldier is choosing to go and help the friend and thus lose the game.

What happens when the game is over?

I think that the game is not over. The game just started. I leave it to the tree. I leave it to the birds. I leave it to the kids, to the future and the past. But in the present, this is still a burning issue and the reality is that it’s stuck. And it has been stuck for a long time and we are all sick and tired of it and we all want it to end. We wish that it would end with peace.

How would this film be different if the roles were reversed and the firing squad was made up of Palestinians?

Actually, I hope it would be the same.

What message do you want the audience to take from this film?

I would say: Think about yourself. Think about your childhood. Connect with your inner child and find the innocence. See how it can be different, how to turn it into a game where there is no losing or winning. Accept it being one on one. Accept the dialog. Take responsibility for your kids, for the new generation, by connecting with your inner child.