TPFF is proud to present original work by local Palestinian filmmakers. The films were developed, workshopped, filmed and produced through the 2024 TPFF Film Residency, in partnership with Trinity Square Video. After an exciting year-long process, TPF presents the world premieres of these incredible films.

In present-day Nablus, amidst the confines of a home masking an ant nest within its walls, Aya, adepressed young woman, is faced with a life-changing scholarship offer to study abroad and caughtbetween the enticement of her dreams and the weight of potentially abandoning her lonely mother. As thediscussions about the persistent acts unfold, long-suppressed emotions start to surface. Through the lensof these seemingly insignificant creatures, Aya and Lamia find a channel to express their true feelings,ultimately leading to a deeper understanding of each other's struggles and desires. “De-Clutter" is apoignant exploration of the complexities of familial love, sacrifice, and the unspoken burdens we carry. Rimah Jabr&nbsp;is a theatre director, playwright, screenwriter, and Ph.D. candidate in Theatre andPerformance Studies at York University. She holds a master’s degree in theatre-making from RITCS in Brussels. Rimah has written and directed several plays produced in Belgium, Canada, and Palestine. She frequently collaborates with visual artists to create performances and has co-written feature films and shorts. Her short film De-Clutter (2023), developed with the support of Cinephilia Productions and produced during a residency at the Toronto Palestine Film Festival (TPFF), marks her debut as a filmmaker. The film has won three awards and has been selected for various short film festivals.

De-Clutter

KAREEM is a Palestinian dress maker who navigates difficult customers and the intricacies of life with a touch of humor and cultural nuance. When news breaks out that wedding dresses are prohibited from entering Palestine, KAREEM’S world is shaken up when his spunky niece, HIND, helps him embark on a mission to disguise the wedding dresses as conspicuous packing wrapping for shishas (hookah) and smuggle them into Palestine. The film takes a poignant turn when a news update reveals that the trade embargo has been lifted, but the reason is darker and more devastating than one can imagine, leaving KAREEM to rebuild not just his shop but also his sense of joy and community in the face of tragedy. With a mix of humour, cultural nuance, and a touch of bittersweet reality, this short film explores the beautiful power of human connection and the resilience of the Palestinian spirit. Deena Alsaweer&nbsp;is a Fulbright Scholar with an M.A. in Film/TV from the Savannah College of Art &amp; Design. Since leaving her career in International Logistics a decade ago, Deena has gone on to win several best screenplay awards and has worked with a range of production companies on TV, digital projects, and films for broadcasters such as TVOKids, CBC, Unis TV, Hallmark, and Bell Fibe TV1. What drives her art is being a passionate champion for underrepresented voices. <a href="www.thedpro.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Learn More</a>

Stitches

The Poem We Sang is a 20-minute, black and white and color, experimental documentary that meditates on love and longing - the love of one's family and the longing for one's home, contemplated through overcoming the trauma of loss of family home and of forced migration, transforming lifelong regrets into a healing journey of creative catharsis and bearing witness.&nbsp; The meditation on family love and longing for home centers on an audio recording in which my uncle Elias was telling my brother how our family had to flee from the bombing in 1948 and run away from our family home in Jerusalem, Palestine, without personal belongings, thinking that the family would return home in a week's time. Weaving through my uncle's voice-recording is my recounting of some of my most cherished memories of him. Connecting the parallel solitudes of my uncles' sadness of losing their family home, and of my own regrets of not having spent more time with him, and of my neglect to prioritize love for family and home amidst my busy life, Is a powerful poem by Palestinian poet Khalil Al-Sakakini, that my uncle and my father used to recite to me and my siblings over and over again during our childhood. The Poem We Sang is at once deeply personal and fiercely nostalgic - a tribute to my uncle Elias and my family, and an ode to our lost family home in Palestine. <a href="https://thepoemwesang.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Learn More</a>