Director:
Carol Mansour
Year:
2017
Length:
78'
Category:
Feature film
Language:
Arabic
Subtitles:
English
Twelve Palestinian women sit before us and talk of their life before the Diaspora, of their memories, of their lives and of their identity. Their narratives are connected by the enduring thread of the ancient art of embroidery.
Twelve resilient, determined and articulate women from disparate walks of life: lawyers, artists, housewives, activists, architects, and politicians stitch together the story of their homeland, of their dispossession, and of their unwavering determination that justice will prevail. Through their stories, the individual weaves into the collective, yet remaining distinctly personal.
The Stitching Palestine screening kicks off a tatreez trajectory within the festival programme, which highlights the importance of this cultural tradition as one of the virtual threads materially connecting Palestinian life in Palestine and across the Diaspora. Alongside the screening, and dialogue session, festival audiences can also join for a dialogue session on Friday or a Sunday afternoon hands-on workshop.
The screening begins with a special introduction from filmmaker Carol Mansour and producer Muna Khalidi.
Biography:
Carol Mansour is an independent documentary filmmaker who is deeply passionate about social justice and human rights issues and believes that film is an important medium that gives voice to the marginalized. After ten years of working in television, she founded Forward Film Production in 2000 in Beirut, Lebanon. With over 24 years in documentary production, Mansour has covered the world from Sri Lanka to Lebanon to Yemen to Uzbekistan. She has achieved international recognition and honor for her films, with over one hundred film festival screenings and official selections worldwide.
Muna Khalidi holds a Ph.D. in health policy and planning, and with more than 34 years of experience working in the social and health development fields in Lebanon and the region. She has worked with various development and health organizations assisting them to develop strategic plans and to design and develop programs. In 2011, she started collaborating with Carol Mansour on the research and production of documentary films dealing with issues of social justice and human rights, bringing her experience in the academic, public, private, and NGO sectors into the documentary-making field.
