Palestine through Film

Kassem Hawal, RETURN TO HAIFA (1982, 74 min., Arabic, English, and German with English and Arabic subtitles)

Based on Ghassan Kanafani’s novella of the same name, RETURN TO HAIFA follows Palestinian refugees Saeed and Safiyya, who were expelled from Haifa in 1948 and forced, under gunfire, to leave their infant son behind. When, in the wake of the 1967 war, the borders finally open, Saeed and Safiyya return to the city in search of their son. At their old house, they discover that Miriam, a Holocaust survivor and immigrant from Poland, adopted their son and raised him as her own. Struck with grief and rage, Safiyya and Saeed must confront the impossibility of returning to a past that no longer exists. At the same time, Miriam must reckon with the Israeli violence that tore Safiyya and Saeed’s family apart.

Content warning: This film contains scenes of war, ethnic violence, and child death.

Palestine through Film chronicles key moments in Palestinian history—from the Nakba of 1948 to the present occupation. These weekly screenings of documentaries, historical dramas, and shorts open a window onto the mosaic of life in Palestine.