Jaffa, Mother of Stranger by Raed Duzdar

Constructed through oral histories, Jaffa tells the story of the city from the perspective of those who lived there before their expulsion in 1948. They share their narratives and memories in order to describe life in Jaffa before the Nakba: details like the layout of neighbourhoods and roads, and the markets and cultural centres, as well as the citrus industry. Together, their accounts paint a picture of a vibrant city, stolen by colonization. Their testimony concludes with a heart wrenching account of the inhabitants’ decision to flee as violence engulfed their home.

Raed Duzdar is an independent Palestinian filmmaker and researcher. He was born in Jerusalem and has a master's degree in business administration. His interest of the oral history of Palestine made him change his career path. Raed started his cinema career as a researcher of documentaries, producer and then a filmmaker.

He is the author of the documentary Jerusalem Calling (2011), a history of the Arabic section of the Palestine Broadcasting Service and of Lama Brothers (2013), the Palestinian brothers who played a central role in the history of Arab cinema, as well as the Samaritans on the Footsteps of Moses (2010).

He is currently working on Mosaics of Jerusalem, a series about minorities and sects in Jerusalem.

This screening is part of the public program of the exhibition “'Meshwar of an Artist From Palestine | Dialogue Between Two Generations: Maroun and Fouad Tomb'”.

70 minutes | 2019
Arabic with English subtitles