Documentary THE FIRST SEA sets focus on Wafaa and Raneen, two West Bank teen agers who, along with a group of other young Palestinians, are invited by an NGO to spend a day at the beach - in Israel. Although they live nearby, an impenetrable barrier has always made it impossible for them to go there. Is this trip a fantasy or a window on the future?For Wafaa and Raneen the sea is just 40 kilometers away from their house in the West Bank, but the two 12 year old girls don’t have permits to cross the border into Israel. This changes when a group of peace activists organize a day trip to the coast of Tel Aviv.Wafaa is excited about her first visit to Israel, a country she has only ever heard stories about. Raneen, however, will not accompany her, as she has often experienced violent clashes between Israeli soldiers and people from her village. She refuses to accept an invitation from anybody occupying her family’s country. Despite such skeptical voices, the packed coach travels over the border to the beach, and the Palestinian guests are soon splashing around in the cool water with their Israeli hosts.Meanwhile, with only a view over the huge wall to Israel, Raneen starts protesting in her village. With this film, documentary filmmaker Clara Trischler not only presents the problems of the Israeli settlement policy from a new and unusual perspective, but also highlights the contrast of pro-Palestinian projects. This is a story about the magic of first times."For me the story started in 2009, when my former Israeli flat mate told me about the initiative for Palestinians to be able to travel to the sea, for the first time in their lives. Something about this story touched me, the surreal image of seemingly hostile groups spending a day on the beach together…" (Director's Statement)