Pickles, Inc.

In the Arab Israeli village of Tamra, in Galilee, widows lead a cloistered and restricted life, and often live below the poverty line, struggling to raise their children on a monthly social security allowance from the state. But in February 2003, eight widows of Tamra decided to challenge convention by starting up a business venture — the Azka Pickle Cooperative — seeking financial independence for themselves and their children. Director Dalit Kimor follows these women as they establish a tiny factory for pickling vegetables and develop a market for their product in local stores. With little formal education or work experience outside the home, the women face numerous hurdles as the business struggles to expand to stores throughout Israel — while their personal lives reflect the joys and sadness of family weddings, bereavement, and loneliness. Pickles, Inc. portrays this unconventional business start-up and offers rare insight into the lives of courageous women striving to overcome extraordinary obstacles to achieve a better life.