My Beloved Homeland & Bride of Galilee

Screening: Monday 6 July, 6:30pm

Watani Habibi, My Beloved Homeland

Director: John Mandelberg | Duration: 24 minutes | Language: Arabic with English subtitles

This rich musical expose reveals the exquisite sun drenched landscapes of ancient Palestine. We hear the haunting sounds of traditional Arabic instruments: the Ney, the Qanun and the Oud, in harmony with the passionate voices of Palestinian cultural resistance. An introductory exploration of Palestinian protest music and dance which features the treasured singular voice of the traditional village singer, Jawaher Shofani; the warm melodic tones of the banished maestro of folk, Mustafa al Kurd, and the youthful sounds of Arab rap calling to the world. They dance to remember their past, they perform for their futures, they believe in the enduring richness and vibrancy of their artistic heritage.

Director: Basel Tannous | Duration: 48mins | Language: Arabic with English subtitles | Year of production: 2006

78 year old Fatma Hawari was a recently engaged young woman in 1948, when her village was bombed by Zionist forces during the Nakba. Found buried beneath the rubble with her lower body paralyzed, she sent her fiancé away and remained alone in a wheel chair, living in what became Israel. Every once in a while, she would take out the wedding dress she never wore.

Then, over ten years ago, a man arrived in the village and asked for her forgiveness he was the pilot who had bombed her house. Unable to forgive, she sent him away, later to learn that he was Abe Nathan, better known as an Israeli peace activist. Years later, told by Israel that she is ineligible for war casualty compensation, as only “Arabs” could have caused her injuries, Fatma decides to trace Nathan, and ask him to confirm in writing that he had indeed bombed her home and family.

Basel Tannous worked for over four years to gain the trust of Fatma and her family in the making of this often painful and profoundly moving account of the fateful encounters between two individuals, and their consequences. In doing so he has produced a unique and intimate portrait of an individual as well as of the enduring conflict itself.