About this Event
Please join the Philly Palestine Coalition as we continue to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the Nakba through a free community screening of the 2021 award-winning film 'Farha', written and directed by Darin J. Sallam, this Wednesday, May 22nd at 5:30 PM at the Skyline Room of the Philadelphia Free Library Parkway Central Branch at 1901 Vine Street in Philadelphia.
As we continue to resist the current US-funded genocide in Gaza, which many refer to as the Second Nakba, we seek to uplift Palestinian stories and cultural works in opposition to the Zionist and western imperialist narratives that serve not only to erase Palestinian culture, but for the past 76 years have attempted to obscure the truth in regard to the Nakba of 1948. 'Farha', based entirely on true events, is one of the only narrative feature films in existence to depict a story of a survivor of the Nakba.
**Please be advised that the events depicted in this film are extremely upsetting and therefore the film may not be suitable for all audiences, including children and survivors of violence who may find these depictions to be triggering.**
Following the screening, please join us for a brief community discussion on the role of art and culture in the fight for Palestinian liberation.
Film Details:
Countries of Production: Jordan, Palestine, Sweden, Saudi Arabia
Genre: Coming of Age, Identity, Exile
World Premiere: 46th Toronto International Film Festival 2021, Canada
Duration: 92 minutes
Rating: PG 13
Language: Arabic, Hebrew, English
Director/writer: Darin J. Sallam
Producers: Deema Azar & Ayah Jardaneh
Cast: Karam Taher, Ashraf Barhom, Tala Gammoh, Ali Suleiman, Sameera Al-Asir, Majd Eid, Firas Taybeh
Synopsis:
Farha is a 14-year-old girl who lives in a small village in Palestine, 1948. Girls her age are traditionally married off or spoken for yet Farha wants to continue her education despite traditions and the restrictions of schooling in her village to boys only. Inseparable from her best friend Farida, who lives in the city but who spends weekends in the village, Farha dreams of joining her at a school in the city. Life in the village is threatened and aggressively changed
by the looming danger. Just when Farha’s father is finally convinced and Farha’s dream is at last coming true, the danger comes closer to their village. As violence escalates, Farha is brutally separated from Farida. Terrorized for his daughter’s safety and fearing for her life, Farha’s father locks her up in a concealed, small food storage space by the house, promising to return. But he never does. Over the course of the next few days, Farha undergoes a life-changing experience while buried in the tight dark space, her only connection to the outside world is a small hole in the wall and a few cracks in the wooden door. Farha witnesses a lot of events, outside and inside the room, setting off her journey of transformation and forcing
her to grow up and leave her childhood behind.
Director’s Biography:
Darin J. Sallam is an award-winning Jordanian writer and director of Palestinian roots. She holds an MFA from the Red Sea Institute for Cinematic Arts (RSICA), affiliated with the University of Southern California. To her credit are 5 award-winning shorts, including THE DARK OUTSIDE (2012) and THE PARROT (2016). Sallam is a Berlinale Talent, a Robert Bosch Film Prize recipient, an Asia Pacific Screen Academy member and a Film Independent Fellow. She was a jury member at international film festivals, most recently the BAFTA-Yugo grant. She is co-founder and managing partner at the Amman-based production company TaleBox. Her critically acclaimed debut feature film FARHA (2021) had its world premiere at the 46th Toronto International Film Festival, won numerous awards to date and started streaming in December 2022 on Netflix worldwide. FARHA was also selected as Jordan’s entry in the International Feature Film category at the 95th Academy Awards (Oscars) in 2023 and achieved a historic first win for Jordan by receiving the Best Youth Film award at the 15th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), known as “the Asian Oscars”, making Sallam the first Jordanian director ever to be awarded an APSA. More recently, Sallam was named among Variety’s Impactful International Women of 2023 and received the IMEU (Institute of Middle East Understanding) Storyteller Award 2023.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, United States
USD 0.00