Three Promises is the story of a mother and her camera, of a son and his suppressed memories, and of Palestine. In&nbsp; 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.

English

Three Promises

During the Second Intifada, a mother films her family's life in the West Bank while sheltering from Israel’s attacks. Her son revisits the past through this footage, delivering a heartbreaking portrait of parents forced to choose between their children’s safety and the emotional upheaval of leaving home.

An experimental documentary that meditates on love and longing––the love of one's family and the longing for one's home––The Poem We Sang contemplates overcoming the trauma of loss and forced migration by transforming lifelong regrets into a healing journey of creative catharsis and bearing witness. A personal archive that exposes and documents collective memories and experiences, The Poem We Sang edits together family photos, recordings, and stories into a visually rich and layered tapestry.

The Poem We Sang

An experimental documentary on love and longing, The Poem We Sang contemplates overcoming the trauma of loss and forced migration, transforming lifelong regrets into a healing journey of creative catharsis and bearing witness.

A choir of witnesses revisits a disrupted mourning session. The polyphonic narration in pal/imp/sest oscillates between absurd, profound, and found personal stories and footage, all reflecting on how grief rituals manifest. The film examines a series of ruptures, possessions, and dispossessions, regarding and presenting each as geopoetic witnessing of colliding and entangled histories, traumas, and bodies through unfolding violence on Onondaga land, as well as in Afghanistan and Gaza.

pal/imp/sest

A choir of witnesses revisits a disrupted mourning session. The polyphonic narration in pal/imp/sest oscillates between absurd, profound, and found personal stories and footage, all reflecting on how grief rituals manifest.

United States of America

Three Promises + The Poem We Sang + pal/imp/sest

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All-Access Passholder

Hadi Moussally

Dr. Wessam Elmeleigi

Suzannah Mirghani

MiznaTwin Cities Arab Film Festival2446 University Ave W, Suite 115Saint Paul, MN 55114USA

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TCAFF 2023 is a film festival celebrating independent Arab/SWANA cinema for audiences across the United States and in-person in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, striving to represent a diverse range of stories from the SWANA region and beyond.

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