My hometown, Haifa, in Israel, is very proud of its legacy of peaceful coexistence between Jews and Arabs. But I think it is more divided than it can seem. For example, as a Jew I don’t remember ever chatting with my Arab neighbors growing up. But I knew there had to be arenas in this city where the different groups intersected, connected through the simple rituals of everyday life. I decided to try and find them.

So I made this documentary about a special hair salon called Fifi’s, which is owned by two Christian Arab women and is beloved by Jewish and Arab women alike. To make the film, I sought a place where I could easily build intimacy with my subjects, and the idea of working for a hairdresser seemed perfect because of the physical connection with the women and the wide array of clientele that such a place offers. I began to work at the salon, chatting with its patrons as I washed their hair.

I had initially set out to make a film about Israeli Arabs, a community which I believe is treated unequally in this country. I never expected that to do that, I would find myself in a hair salon of all places. But as you’ll see, Fifi’s is remarkable. It draws women from all over the city, and inspires friendship, acceptance and respect between Arabs and Jews. So ultimately I ended up with a different film: one about a little island of sanity.

This post was originally published by the New York Times. It is posted here with the permission of the filmmaker.