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Screening will start at 12:00 Noon US EDT; 7:00 PM Palestine, Run Time 72 minutes, 22018, Arabic with English subtitles. The film screening will be followed by a discussion with filmmaker Marwah Jbara Tibi.
SYNOPSIS
"It is a story of two Palestinian families who lived in the same house on 36 Abbas Street in Haifa. For the Rafa family this house is the present, while for the Abu-Ghaida family who were forced to leave their house when Haifa fell in 1948, it is the past. The Rafa family bought the house from its “unlawful” owners. The mother, Sarah Rafa, insisted that the house’s rightful owners will inevitably return one day. This message was ingrained in the mind of the daughter, Nidal Rafa, who compulsively seeks to find the original owners of the house. At the same time, members of the Abu-Ghaida family dreaming of return start searching for their stolen family home. The film documents Nidal’s search for the house’s original owners and Dina’s efforts to return and retrieve part of her family home. In the film, we will follow the Abu-Ghaida and Rafa families over a year, examining the Nakba and Naksa, the dream of return, and documenting the families’ personal and public experiences. We will ask about the meaning and shape of return and belonging, and the challenges of resilience and steadfastness in the homeland.
About Directors
Marwah Jbara Tibi is an independent filmmaker who produces and directs documentaries in Palestine. Her experience encompasses journalism, media production, and directing. She worked in news production for 25 years, as a news producer for CNN, then as a producer for Canadian Television CTV. After that, she established her own company, Zainab Productions, to produce feature and investigative documentaries. Her films have been screened at international festivals and received prestigious awards. Notable projects include the feature-length documentary "Bread and Butter, 2021", the Photographers of Palestine series (6 episodes), and the award-winning film "The Bride Dress'', which won for Creative Director at the Arab Radio and Television Festival ASBU, Best Documentary at the International Human Rights Festival - Rabat, and Best Documentary of the Florence Film Festival. In addition, "Abbas 36", a feature-length documentary, won for Best Documentary at the Berlin International Art Film festival and earned a Documentary Award at the Toronto International Women's Festival. It was an official selection of the DC Palestine Film & Arts Festival, and the Toronto Palestine Film Festival. Locally, it was nominated as a Palestine Sunbird Documentary at the Palestine Cinema Days Film Festival. Among her other distinguished films are "Land plunder, 2020", "Battle Proven, 2017" and many other short documentaries
Nidal Rafa is a Palestinian journalist from Haifa. She has worked with international media, such as CNN and France 24. She has a postgraduate degree in international relations, and has also studied at Haifa University. Nidal is an active participant in Palestinian political life. Nidal is a board member for several organisations such as Adalah and Al Siwar in Haifa. She is the Co-Director of the Documentary ''ABBAS 36''.