Going Far: Five Eritrean Women Featured in a Unique Documentary Project
Going Far: Five Eritrean Women Featured in a Unique Documentary Project
Going Far
An audio-visual project shifts between past, present, and an unknown future, documents five young women, who underwent an arduous journey from their homeland Eritrea to Israel. In their own words, Arsema, Yusan, Mary, Sham, and Sinit recount their journey as young girls, a story the likes of which has never been heard before.
Watch the trailer below.
Premier Screening Event
This page is dedicated to the unique project 'Going Far', a documentary film by Shiri Havatzelet, based on the unbelievable texts written by the five Eritrean girls who are also the stars and co-creators of this documentary. At the festive event, during the post-screening panel, the girls - now young women - opened up about what it is like to be a young asylum-seeker in Israel as well as the challenge of watching themselves on the big screen.
The event was an opportunity to shine a light on the issue and barrier many asylum-seekers face, especially those who were born in Israel or grew up in Israel.
© UNHCR Israel / From Left: Yusan Aberhalum, Sini Musie, Mery Masezbo, journalist Einat Fishbein and film teacher and 'Going Far' documentary director Shiri Havatzelet.
© UNHCR / Sharon Harel, UNHCR Israel.
© UNHCR Israel / Tel Aviv Municipality Deputy Mayor Asaf Zamir greeting the audience at the "Going Far" screening. Tel Aviv Municipality was a crucial partner in organizing this evening.
© UNHCR
Going Far - the literary project
A small red book, detailing the delicate accounts of the five Eritrean girls was published and launched in 2022, on World Refugee Day and became the first stop in a long journey of these rare testimonies, years before the documentary was in production.
© UNHCR Israel / From Left: film teacher and 'Going Far' documentary director Shiri Havatzelet, Sham Angosom, Arsema Ta'ame, Bialik Rogozin school headmaster Jalal Tohi, journalist Vered Lee, UNHCR communication officer Sharon Harel, Yusan Aberhalum.
World Refugee Day 2022
A celebration of the 'Going Far' book of testimonies written by young Eritrean women detailing their journey from Eritrea to Israel through Sudan and Egypt as toddlers. The book was published in Hebrew and translated to English with the support of UNHCR Israel.
For more information and photos from the 2022 World Refugee Day event click here.
© UNHCR / Yusan Abrhalum reading a part of her testimony from 'Going Far'.
Testimonies gathered in a high-school literary workshop
The literary project was initiated at school by Osnat Winkler-Rapoport, literature teacher at Bialik Rogozin School. The testimonies were collected and published as a short book by Hamakom Magazine.
At the World Refugee Day event in 2022, the 'Going Far' girls participated in a reading of their personal stories. Click here to watch the full video of the event.
Explore Going Far
Read more about the special night at the Tel-Aviv Cinematheque on 23 February 2025. Hundreds gathered to watch the film and hear the creators discuss issues of refugeehood, identity and life in Israel as a young asylum-seeker
"Going Far" The written testimonies
Download a copy here
23 February 2025, Tel-Aviv Cinemathque
Produced with the cooperation of Tel-Aviv Municipality