The award-winning animated brief movie titled “I Am From Palestine,” which tells the story of a Palestinian lady residing within the United States, has been offered to audiences worldwide.
Following the assaults by Israel on the Gaza Strip, the place hundreds, largely ladies and youngsters, had been killed, the movie was made obtainable on YouTube. It depicts the experiences of Saamidah, a younger Palestinian lady who can’t find her nation on the map.
Rifk Ebeid, the creator of the guide from which the movie is tailored, “Baba, What Does My Name Mean? A Journey to Palestine,” is a Palestinian American. Ebeid, who began her human rights advocacy in college and continued by writing kids’s tales after changing into a mom, advised an Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondent: “My father is from Hebron, and my mother is from Jerusalem. My entire family still lives in Jerusalem. When we were growing up, we would visit every summer and stay for a few months; all my childhood memories are there.”
Ebeid, expressing her ardour to succeed in wider audiences by way of a special technique than conventional activism after finishing college, mentioned: “I know that we, as Palestinians, have a long literary tradition. However, I hadn’t seen books written in English specifically for children. I wanted to have something that would continue to serve even if I were not there. Because even if I am gone, my books, my words will still be there.”
Fighting for freedom
Ebeid, explaining how the thought of writing a kids’s guide happened, continued: “In my book ‘Baba, What Does My Name Mean? A Journey to Palestine,’ I drew inspiration from my own children. I gave them names of different cities in Palestine, anticipating the day they would ask me, ‘Why did you give me this name? What does it mean?’ That was the starting point of the idea.”
“Additionally, the summers I spent in Palestine were the most unforgettable experiences of my life. Therefore, I wanted to create a way for children who couldn’t go to Palestine to feel as if they were touring there, learning about different cities and what makes each city famous. It’s like taking the reader on a tour of Palestine.”
“We grow up knowing that we are Palestinians and that we are fighting for our freedom. However, often as children, we don’t know much beyond that. So, I wanted children to truly see our pre-Zionist history and understand that they can fight for a future without Zionism.”
Voice and censorship
Ebeid acknowledged that she mentioned the discharge time of the animation along with her director pal after the beginning of Israel’s assaults on Oct. 7. She emphasised, “The reason we did this is that, especially during a time when people are listening, we have seen how crucial it is for the voices and stories of Palestinians to be heard.”
In this era of inhumane practices towards the Palestinian individuals, Ebeid talked about that they created the animation to contribute to the wrestle. She defined, “To directly receive information from us, to hear about our experiences, to understand what is happening there, and to explain why the genocide is allowed to continue with full force.”
Pointing to the discharge of the movie as a method to proceed shouting the reality, Ebeid made the next remarks: “We know that the Israeli propaganda machine spends thousands and thousands of {dollars}, and they’re afraid to listen to our voice. We face censorship in each sector. It’s not simply legitimate on social media; individuals lose their jobs, face censorship on tv and are censored all over the place.
“That’s why this is very important for us. Yes, we feel devastated, horrified and helpless. However, we must continue to use our voice to amplify the voices of Palestinians in the field and to make Palestinian stories heard.”
Strong with wealthy tradition
The director of the movie, Iman Zawahry, talked about that almost all of her work revolves round American Muslim activists, particularly filmmakers, and highlighted being one of many first American Muslim movie producers who wears a headband.
Zawahry, who shared that she lives in the identical metropolis as Rifk Ebeid and has been pals along with her since childhood, mentioned, “It was really exciting when Rifk wrote the book because the illustrator of the book was also an animator, Lamaa Jawhari.”
Explaining that they crafted a narrative based mostly on the experiences of Palestinian Americans, Zawahry acknowledged: “Amplifying the voices of Palestinians was really important. The story was about a Palestinian American child who couldn’t find their country on the map at school. They later question their identities, and we take them on a journey to discover their identities, showcasing the strength of Palestine as a country. Palestine is strong; it has a rich culture, and it is something to be very proud of. Furthermore, we wanted to empower children to express themselves in an unsupported area, let them know there is a supportive community behind them.”
Zawahry conveyed that the method of turning the guide into animation was a prolonged journey. She offered details about the preparation of the movie produced by Ebeid, its journey by way of festivals, and its launch on YouTube.
Zawahry expressed that, like everybody else, she watches occasions unfold each morning with disappointment and turns into indignant as a result of there is not sufficient outcry towards injustice worldwide.
“We are activists trying to do our best in everything we do in the field. Through protests, propaganda, and journalism, we are trying to make our voices heard in every possible way,” she acknowledged.
“People see the inhumane injustice and genocide happening in Palestine. So, it’s not just a single voice shouting at the wall anymore; there are now numerous voices, yet it’s still not enough. We should continue to push, shove and strive as much as we can. We shouldn’t fear the voices trying to take away our humanity and our work because this is more important than anything else,” she added.
About the movie
The award-winning brief animated movie tells the story of Saamidah, a Palestinian residing within the United States. The movie depicts her anxiousness on the primary day of college, the place she questions her id when confronted with a world map that doesn’t embrace the identify of her nation.
Following a dialog along with her father, Saamidah embarks on an imaginary journey to Palestine, gaining a way of belonging to her homeland. The subsequent day, she confidently shares her nation’s story in school.
The movie has been showcased at varied festivals, together with the RiverRun International Film Festival, the Chicago Palestine Film Festival, the Inca Imperial International Film Festival, the Arab Film Festival, the Leeds Palestinian Film Festival, the San Diego International Film Festival, the Spark Micro-Short Film Festival, the Muslim Film Festival, the Huntington Beach Cultural Film Festival, the Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival, the Palestinian Refugees Film Festival, the Portland Film Festival and the Toronto Syria Film Festival. It has acquired a number of awards.
The animation is credited to Lamaa Jawhari and Fadia Jaradat, with music by Abed Hathot and Akram Haddad. The songs used within the movie belong to the El-Funoun Palestinian Dance Troupe. Grace Ibrahim is credited with the movie’s enhancing.
With over 600,000 views and hundreds of feedback, the movie could be accessed on the YouTube web page Rifk Books.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
