Three Promises is the story of a mother and her camera, of a son and his suppressed memories, and of Palestine. In the early 2000s, while the Israeli army retaliates against the Second Intifada in the West Bank, Suha films her daily family life, punctuated by frequent trips underground and overwhelmed by the anguish of her two young children. At every moment of intense danger, she promises God that she will leave if they survive. In 2017, her son discovers this archive of footage and reconnects with this suppressed past, wondering alongside his mother what drove her to record their suffering and why she delayed fleeing. While on the surface the film depicts a portrait of everyday life in times of war, on a deeper level, it presents the staggering beauty of a mother’s love. Blending the voice of the present with impressive family footage, Yousef completes the story his mother began, thus averting the act of forgetting on a personal and collective level.
- Year2023
- Runtime61 minutes
- LanguageArabic, English
- CountryPalestine
- Subtitle LanguageEnglish
- DirectorYousef Srouji
- ScreenwriterYousef Srouji, Mahdokht Mahmoudabadi, Marielle Olentine
- ProducerMarielle Olentine
- Co-ProducerZein Khleif
- CastSuha Khamis, Yousef Srouji, Ramzi Srouji
- EditorMahdokht Mahmoudabadi
Three Promises is the story of a mother and her camera, of a son and his suppressed memories, and of Palestine. In the early 2000s, while the Israeli army retaliates against the Second Intifada in the West Bank, Suha films her daily family life, punctuated by frequent trips underground and overwhelmed by the anguish of her two young children. At every moment of intense danger, she promises God that she will leave if they survive. In 2017, her son discovers this archive of footage and reconnects with this suppressed past, wondering alongside his mother what drove her to record their suffering and why she delayed fleeing. While on the surface the film depicts a portrait of everyday life in times of war, on a deeper level, it presents the staggering beauty of a mother’s love. Blending the voice of the present with impressive family footage, Yousef completes the story his mother began, thus averting the act of forgetting on a personal and collective level.
- Year2023
- Runtime61 minutes
- LanguageArabic, English
- CountryPalestine
- Subtitle LanguageEnglish
- DirectorYousef Srouji
- ScreenwriterYousef Srouji, Mahdokht Mahmoudabadi, Marielle Olentine
- ProducerMarielle Olentine
- Co-ProducerZein Khleif
- CastSuha Khamis, Yousef Srouji, Ramzi Srouji
- EditorMahdokht Mahmoudabadi