The Myth of Mahmoud (في حالة أستيطان)
Qumra Projects
/ Feature Documentary / Palestine, Qatar
In Arabic, English
Rated: This film has not been rated.
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Synopsis
Mahmoud Said moved to Doha, Qatar, at the age of 24 from Gaza, Palestine, in the hopes of building a new home for himself and his family. Only to find that, like the Myth of Sisyphus, he is destined to roll the displacement boulder up the hill for the duration of his life. His granddaughter, Mayar Hamdan, attempts to document his displacement struggles in an architectural documentary, but soon enough realises that she herself is not prepared to flood the gates of her generational traumas.
Four years after Mayar gave up on the documentary and moved to Los Angeles, California, Mahmoud passed away at the age of 93, still struggling with his residency status. He passes down the boulder to his family, who now have to continue on to find a new home. Mayar sets off to continue her documentary—examining her own displacement struggles, the homeland, life, death, and the absurdity of it all.