Co-presented by the Middle East Children's Alliance & the Arab American National Museum
At the Arab Film and Media Institute, we seek to continually change the narrative, share our stories, and foster understanding of our
At the Arab Film and Media Institute, we seek to continually change the narrative, share our stories, and foster understanding of our common humanity through art and storytelling. At the end of last year, in response to beginning of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, we started a program called Palestinian Voices to do just this. Throughout this dire time, we feel that is it more important than ever to share the history, culture, and stories of Palestine.
In contrast to Western media coverage that often dominates the narrative, this program highlights the stories of Palestinians as they want to tell them. Each film offer us glimpses into the daily lives of the Palestinian people–their struggles under occupation, but also their hopes, dreams, and insistent reclamation of life, despite it all. We are honored to share these shorts that explore childhood imagination, the efforts to return, and the solidarity that can be found in surprising places.
In Germany, a family of Syrian refugees of Palestinian origin is suddenly forced to cohabit with new residents: Maria and her daughter Sofia, who are fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Festivals & Awards: Audience Award: CineMed 2023, Best Short Film: Abnnaba Medetiranien Film Festival 2024
About the Filmmaker:
Abdallah Jamal AlKhatib, born in 1989 in Damascus, is a Palestinian-Syrian film director, writer, and human rights defender. He studied Sociology at the University of Damascus and worked at UNRWA before co founding the Watad Center for Training and Development during the 2011 Syrian revolution. The center aimed to facilitate skill sharing among activists amid the absence of state educational institutions. Honored as Peacemaker of the Year by German Greenpeace magazine in 2014 and awarded the Swedish Per Anger Prize for Human Rights in 2016, AlKhatib now resides in Germany. He focuses on writing and directing documentaries, including his award winning "Little Palestine - Diary of a Siege", shown in over 50 countries.
- Year2023
- Runtime21 minutes
- LanguageArabic, German, Ukrainian
- CountryAlgeria, France, Jordan
- PremiereSan Francisco Premiere
- GenreComedy, Drama
- Subtitle LanguageEnglish
- DirectorAbdallah Al Khatib
- ScreenwriterAbdallah Al Khatib
- ProducerSalah Issaad, Taqiyeddine Issaad
- CastHiam Abbas, Hakim Traidia, Olga Tolmachova, Uliana Zesenska, Jaafar Alkhatib
- CinematographerJean Combier
Co-presented by the Middle East Children's Alliance & the Arab American National Museum
At the Arab Film and Media Institute, we seek to continually change the narrative, share our stories, and foster understanding of our
At the Arab Film and Media Institute, we seek to continually change the narrative, share our stories, and foster understanding of our common humanity through art and storytelling. At the end of last year, in response to beginning of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, we started a program called Palestinian Voices to do just this. Throughout this dire time, we feel that is it more important than ever to share the history, culture, and stories of Palestine.
In contrast to Western media coverage that often dominates the narrative, this program highlights the stories of Palestinians as they want to tell them. Each film offer us glimpses into the daily lives of the Palestinian people–their struggles under occupation, but also their hopes, dreams, and insistent reclamation of life, despite it all. We are honored to share these shorts that explore childhood imagination, the efforts to return, and the solidarity that can be found in surprising places.
In Germany, a family of Syrian refugees of Palestinian origin is suddenly forced to cohabit with new residents: Maria and her daughter Sofia, who are fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Festivals & Awards: Audience Award: CineMed 2023, Best Short Film: Abnnaba Medetiranien Film Festival 2024
About the Filmmaker:
Abdallah Jamal AlKhatib, born in 1989 in Damascus, is a Palestinian-Syrian film director, writer, and human rights defender. He studied Sociology at the University of Damascus and worked at UNRWA before co founding the Watad Center for Training and Development during the 2011 Syrian revolution. The center aimed to facilitate skill sharing among activists amid the absence of state educational institutions. Honored as Peacemaker of the Year by German Greenpeace magazine in 2014 and awarded the Swedish Per Anger Prize for Human Rights in 2016, AlKhatib now resides in Germany. He focuses on writing and directing documentaries, including his award winning "Little Palestine - Diary of a Siege", shown in over 50 countries.
- Year2023
- Runtime21 minutes
- LanguageArabic, German, Ukrainian
- CountryAlgeria, France, Jordan
- PremiereSan Francisco Premiere
- GenreComedy, Drama
- Subtitle LanguageEnglish
- DirectorAbdallah Al Khatib
- ScreenwriterAbdallah Al Khatib
- ProducerSalah Issaad, Taqiyeddine Issaad
- CastHiam Abbas, Hakim Traidia, Olga Tolmachova, Uliana Zesenska, Jaafar Alkhatib
- CinematographerJean Combier