Palestine through Film

Darin J. Sallam, FARHA (2021, 92 min., Arabic, Hebrew, and English with English subtitles)

FARHA, Jordan’s official entry to the 2023 Academy Awards, is “a brutal kind of coming-of-age story” that “depicts the upheaval of Palestinian society from a fourteen-year-old girl’s perspective” (Beatrice Loayza, The New York Times—full review here). Inspired by real events, the film follows Farha, a Palestinian teenager whose dreams of pursuing an education in the city are shattered when militias show up at her family’s home. Their arrival marks what Palestinians refer to as the Nakba: the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians by Israeli forces in 1948. Terrified for his daughter’s safety, Farha’s father locks her in a concealed food cellar, promising to return—but he never does. From the confines of the cellar, Farha witnesses harrowing events that force her to confront the devastating realities of war and leave her childhood behind.

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