As it turns out, Solemani’s own grandmother, on whom the film is based, was best friends with my own grandmother (my Bibi), which is how she ended up in a montage of black and white photos in the film. In short, my Gone With the Wind-loving Bibi is currently appearing in an Oscar-shortlisted film. It’s something she would never have dreamed of and I hope she is up there giggling away at the thought. Whether the film is nominated or not, it’s certainly a story that deserves attention. Following pogroms in the 1800s, the Jews in the region were given...