Join the Middle East Studies Program (MESP) for a powerful evening of award-winning Palestinian short films that bear witness to life under displacement, settler colonialism, and unyielding resilience.
From the longing and home loss in I Would Like to Visit and The Poem We Sang to the perilous journey of a refugee in The Deer’s Tooth; from the sensory world of Deaf children in Vibrations from Gaza to grief and creativity in Mar Mama and Ambience and the quiet reckoning of Upshot—each film resists erasure, asserting presence against forces of dispossession. Blending experimental montage, intimate narrative, and documentary, these works confront the realities of siege, exile, and generational loss while affirming the enduring force of memory, imagination, and survival.
Join us for screenings followed by discussion exploring the various contexts these films navigate.
Short Films:
- I Would Like to Visit, Muhammad Nour El-Khairy (2017), 4 min
An experimental meditation on displacement, showing a Palestinian’s longing to travel through typed words and tense soundscapes. - The Deer’s Tooth, Saif Hammash (2024), 16 min
A young man from a refugee camp undertakes a dangerous journey to fulfill his brother’s wish, turning a childhood ritual into an act of love under exile. - Vibrations from Gaza, Rehab Nazzal (2023), 16 min
Deaf children sense life under siege through vibrations and tremors, revealing resilience amidst conflict. - Mar Mama, Majdi El Omari (2023), 15 min
A young girl processes grief and city attacks through imagination, blending fantasy and reality in a shared act of survival with her father. - Upshot, Maha Haj (2024), 34 min
A grieving couple’s quiet life on a farm is disrupted by a stranger, forcing them to confront loss, memory, and control. - Ambience, Wisam El Jaafari (2019), 15 min
Two youths navigate a chaotic refugee camp to record a music demo, turning frustration into creative perseverance. - The Poem We Sang, Annie Sakkab (2024), 20 min
An experimental documentary reflecting on love, longing, and the trauma of losing home, transforming grief into hope and resilience.
