Bye Bye Tiberias
Spring Grants 2021 - Production Stage
Lina Soualem / Feature Documentary / France, Belgium, Qatar / 2023 / 80 min / Original Language: Arabic, French / Interests: Creative Documentary
Synopsis
Thirty years ago, Hiam left her Palestinian village Deir Hanna in Galilee, where she grew up with her grandmother Um Ali, her mother Neemat and her seven sisters, to pursue her acting dream in France. Thirty years later, her daughter Lina questions her mother’s bold choices and investigates how the women in her family, who she left behind, have influenced her life. To reach the source of transmission, Lina unveils the multiple layers of her mother’s journey, starting from who Hiam is today, a renowned actress. The journey of each woman figure in the film takes us back to a timeslot in history. Despite their dispersed Palestinian identity in different territories, they took control over their destinies and influenced the world around them. The film pieces together images of today, family archives, historical footage and fiction films clips. It’s a voyage through the lives of Palestinian women for whom dispossession is the norm and resilience a daily background music.
Credits
- Director
- Lina Soualem
- Screenwriter
- Lina Soualem, Nadine Naous
- Producer
- Jean-Marie Nizan
- Production Company
- Beall Productions
About the Director
Lina Soualem is a French-Palestinian-Algerian filmmaker and actress, born and based in Paris. After studying History and Political Science at La Sorbonne University, Lina started working in journalism and as a programmer in film festivals, looking to combine her interests in cinema and the study of contemporary Arab societies. Lina worked as a programmer for the International Human Rights Film Festival in Buenos Aires and the Palest’In & Out Festival in Paris, among others. Lina’s debut feature documentary 'Their Algeria' premiered in Visions du Réel International Film Festival 2020. 'Their Algeria' recently received the First Film prize in CINEMED Montpellier International Festival of Mediterranean Film & the El Gouna Star for the Best Arab Documentary in El Gouna Film Festival. Lina acted in three feature films directed by Hafsia Herzi, Hiam Abbass and Rayhana. She is currently developing her second feature documentary 'Bye Bye Tiberias', and works as an author of fiction, documentaries and TV series.
Contacts
-
Main Contact
Lina Soualem
- Email:
- linasoualem@gmail.com
-
Main Contact
Jean-Marie Nizan
- Company:
- Beall Production
- Email:
- jean-marie@beall.fr