A HOUSE IN JERUSALEM & I AM FROM PALESTINE

I Am From Palestine

As Saamidah, a young Palestinian-American girl, anxiously starts her first day of school, she finds her identity in question when faced with a world map that does not include her homeland of Palestine. In this poignant, short animation, Iman Zawahry directs the viewer through a rich celebration of cultural nuances and iconic elements. Through an exploration of Saamidah’s cultural identity and Palestinian pride, the viewer is invited to an intimate view of her self-discovery.

A House in Jerusalem

Following the death of her mother in a car accident, ten-year-old Rebecca moves with her father Michael from the UK to Jerusalem in search of a fresh start. There, they take up residence in a villa left to Michael by his father, in a neighborhood of West Jerusalem known as the Valley of the Ghosts. Left to her own devices, Rebecca explores the house and its overgrown yard. In a disused well, she finds a decades-old doll and takes it inside. It isn't long before another little girl—ethereal, pale, dripping wet, invisible to all but Rebecca—comes looking for the doll. After several uncanny appearances, the girl eventually identifies herself as Rasha, a Palestinian forced from the villa along with her entire family during the 1948 War. Determined to help Rasha reunite with her mother, Rebecca sets out to learn more. She embarks on a search that leads her to a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank, where she tracks down an elderly dollmaker.