Living as a refugee at Balata camp in the northern West Bank, Maha choreographs a scenario to fulfill the unrealized goal of Palestinian sovereignty for her ailing blind grandfather.
Supported by
Community Partner
Sama Idreesi, Kamel El Basha
France/Jordan
2023
In Arabic with English subtitles
This short is featured in:
VIFF Short Forum 6
Shorts from Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Lebanon, Palestine, Slovenia, and Ukraine.
Indigenous & Community Access
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Made in Palestine Project – Rashid Abdelhammid
Producer
Topshot Films Bastien Daret, Arthur Goisset, Robin Robles
Screenwriter
Nour Ben Salem, Julien Menanteau
Cinematography
Éric Devin
Editor
Manon Falise
Production Design
Ayoub Nahhas
Original Music
Jack Bartman
Nour Ben Salem
After a master’s degree in cinema at the Sorbonne and a TV series course at La Fémis, Nour Ben Salem worked as a scriptwriter for television and cinema. She co-wrote the feature film Hard Shell, Soft Shell (2021) directed by Emma Benestan, as well as several episodes of the series Reign Supreme for Arte/Netflix. Palestine Islands is her first work as a director.
Julien Menanteau
After studying cinema in Montreal and at the Sorbonne, Julien Menanteau directed his first short film Rikishi (2017), followed by Samaritan (2018), a creative documentary shot over two years in Palestine. Broadcasted on Arte, the film won a star from the SCAM. Lads, his upcoming debut fiction feature, received support from the CNC.
VIFF Short Forum
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Short Fuse
A unique collection of Canadian and International shorts: charming, funny, even a bit scary. These filmmakers bring unique stories to screen, showcasing animated imaginary and natural worlds, Indigenous futurist tales, and experiences from the everyday.