MY FRIEND, THE ENEMY

MY FRIEND, THE ENEMY

30 minutes | Documentary | ZDF | Nordend Film | 2025

The 37° documentary follows two places where the impossible seems to work, where friendship replaces enmity: the Israeli-Palestinian restaurant “Kanaan” in Berlin and the boxing club 1932 Pirmasens, where Ukrainians and Russians train together.

At “Kanaan,” Israeli Oz Ben David and Palestinian Jalil Dabit have worked side by side for years. Their restaurant stands as a symbol of understanding and coexistence. “Peace by Hummus.” Since the Hamas massacre and the Gaza war, their friendship faces a serious test. Oz, who grew up in a right-wing settler family, and Jalil, from a well-known hummus family in Ramla, struggle with fear, pain and the question of whether their project can survive these times.

In Pirmasens in the Palatinate, young Russians and Ukrainians face each other in the ring, but in friendship. Vitali Litz, the club chairman with Russian roots, runs the club and trains the young boxers together with Ukrainian coach Sergej Mermis. In the ring, one rule applies: respect. No politics, no enemy images. Young men from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Syria, Afghanistan and Germany fight side by side. Boxing becomes a symbol that humanity outweighs origin.

MY FRIEND, THE ENEMY observes how trust grows despite deep differences and wounds, how anger and grief can turn into closeness, and how hard it is to stay human in times of war. A film about courage, hope and the strength to build bridges across every divide.