Doha Film Institute
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An audio-visual portrait of forgotten and silenced Palestinians living under colonisation in Israel.
An audio-visual experimental film offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of Palestinians within the 1948 borders. Through anonymous conversations, we hear diverse perspectives on Palestinian identity and life under colonization and forced silencing. The film begins with serene nature scenes, soon disrupted by Israeli presence, a D9 demolishing a house, Israeli flags being put up in the streets, a land, emptied of its people, filled with skyscrapers, displaced villages, Hebrew-only signs, and a general emptiness. These images are paired with a mosaic of Palestinian voices: a child from a mixed city, a Bedouin Palestinian from an unrecognized village, an elderly woman reflecting on the Military Rule (1949-1966), a teacher reclaiming the Palestinian narrative at school risking their career, a hi-tech employee in a Hi-tech surveillance company, an idle youth facing a lack of belonging that goes out only at night, a bourgeois reflecting on family history, and a university student. These voices share their feelings, observations, and thoughts, eventually reclaiming their strength. They emphasize that those without power can see clearly and understand what the oppressor overlooks. They possess self-awareness and insight into themselves and their oppressors. The film aims to reflect on what identity is, how do we preserve it? How has 76 years of colonization affected us, our thoughts, our feelings, our language and our place in Palestine? Has it infiltrated our minds? And how do we navigate such a complex reality we live in? Ultimately, the voices collectively attempt to imagine a utopia and alternative reality they wish to live in, illuminating the resilience and aspirations of the unheard Palestinians, seeking change and prosperity despite endless colonization attempts.

Credits

Director
Aida Kaadan
Screenwriter
Aida Kaadan
Producer
Aida Kaadan
Production Company
Little Prince Production
Cast
No actors involved, only anonymous voices.

About the Director

Aida Kaadan
Aida Kaadan, born in 1994, is a Palestinian filmmaker and screenwriter. She studied Film Studies and Directing at the Steve Tisch School of Film and Television at Tel Aviv University. Aida made her directorial debut at 22 with 'Strawberry', a short film recognised as one of the must-watch Palestinian films, winning multiple awards at international film festivals. In November 2021, Aida completed a
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