Even in the midst of intense political conflicts, people try to get on with their lives. So it is with Mariam and Bassam, a Palestinian couple who met during the relatively peaceful summer of 2000. This wonderfully observant film follows their relationship from courtship to marriage, and beyond. Bassam, a telephone repairman in Cleveland, returns to Palestine to find a “home-made” bride. He quickly meets and marries the young Mariam, but leaves he in Palestine with his family. Soon afterward, a new intifada takes place and violence erupts throughout Palestine. Life in wartime is brilliantly evoked: people talk on cell phones, quarrel and cook dinner while tanks are shelling buildings a few blocks away. After many months, Bassam is able to procure a visa for Maraiam, but she soon discovers that life is exile in the UC is not what she expected. This charming film says a great deal about love, courtship, and the roles of women and men in Palestinian society, while touching on the details of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.
To a Land Unknown
Synopsis
Displaced Palestinian cousins Chatila and Reda are stuck in Athens. They live in a crowded group home with other migrants, and steal and save what they can to pay for fake passports that will take them to Germany. When Reda relapses into his addictions and spends all their savings, Chatila devises what seems like a foolproof smuggling operation to earn the money back fast. Then things go terribly awry, and the cousins must concoct an even more sinister scheme in order to save themselves and their families back home.
With an intimate and naturalistic lens on the cousins’ bond and shared dream of a better life, To a Land Unknown is a tightly drawn thriller that presents an audacious, moving testament to the dire circumstances faced by migrants in purgatory.
Screenings & Events
Sold Out/Rush Only? Learn when new tickets get released by signing up for our ticket availability email list!
Media
Film Credits
- Geoff Arbourne, Mahdi Fleifel
- Mahdi Fleifel, Fyzal Boulifa, Jason McColgan
- Halim Sabbagh
- Thodoris Mihopoulos (GSC)
- Mahmood Bakri (Chatila), Aram Sabbagh (Reda), Angeliki Papoulia (Tatiana), Mohammad Alsurafa (Malik), Mouataz Alshalton (Abu Love), Mohammad Ghassan (Yasser), Monzer Reyahnah (Marwan)
- Nadah El Shazly
- Elisa Van Waeyenberge, François De Villers, Frank Barat, Sawsan Asfari
- Inside Out Films, Nakba Filmworks, Salaud Morisset, Salaud Morisset Deutschland, Homemade Films, Studio Ruba
Sponsors
With Support From
You might also enjoy...
No Other Land
Synopsis
Basel Adra, a young Palestinian activist from a small town on the West Bank, has been fighting the forceful expulsion of his community by Israeli authorities since he was a child. For decades, he has looked on as houses have been demolished and his family has been harassed, because, as he says, “we have no other land.” When he meets Yuval, an idealistic Israeli journalist who wants to document the ongoing brutality, an unlikely alliance develops between the two.
Compelling and inspiring, the film closely chronicles the devastating and heartbreaking day-to-day assaults against the Palestinian people, as well as their attempts to rebuild. It also explores the complicated relationship between Adra and Yuval, who — despite their differences in privilege and power — share an unwavering faith in the recorded image to make a difference. Extraordinarily empathic and moving, No Other Land is a stunning and all-too-relevant testament to resistance and resilience.
Screenings & Events
Sold Out/Rush Only? Learn when new tickets get released by signing up for our ticket availability email list!
Media
Film Credits
- Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
- Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
- Rachel Szor
- Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham
- Antipode Films
Sponsors
Documentary Program Partner
Documentary Program Patron
Cynthia Stone Raskin
With Support From
You might also enjoy...
Happy Holidays
Synopsis
A panoramic portrait of a patriarchal society, Happy Holidays chronicles the lives of a Palestinian family living in Israel. While studying far away from her home in Haifa, Fifi’s newfound sense of freedom is threatened when she gets into a minor car accident. Injured, but hoping to avoid confrontation with her headstrong mother, she must decide just how much to reveal to her family. Her decision creates a cascade of ripple effects, and a complex web of deceits and half-truths begins to crack the family’s foundations.
Told in four chapters, each from the perspective of a different character, the film intricately balances a bevy of narrative threads to create a swirling, kaleidoscopic drama. Featuring pitch-perfect performances and a shifting structure that subverts expectations at every turn, the film elaborates the clashing demands of tradition and progress.
In Focus: Germany on Screen
This film is part of the 60th Chicago International Film Festival’s In Focus: Germany on Screen collection highlighting the work of Germany’s most gifted auteur filmmakers.
Screenings & Events
Sold Out/Rush Only? Learn when new tickets get released by signing up for our ticket availability email list!
Film Credits
- Tony Copti, Jiries Copti, Dorothe Beinemeier, Jean Bréhat, Marco Valerio Fusco, Micaela Fusco
- Scandar Copti
- Scandar Copti
- Tim Kuhn
- Manar Shehab, Wafaa Aoun, Meirav Memoresky, Toufic Danial
- Pascal Lemercier
- Fresco Films, Red Balloon Film, Tessalit Productions, Intramovies
Sponsors
New Directors Program Patron
Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation
With Support From
You might also enjoy...
CineYouth Program
Frames of Reference: Documentary
Synopsis
These five incredible shorts function as a window into diverse forms of the human experience, highlighting courageous expressions of identity, examples of uplifting community, and insightful responses to common misconceptions.
Please note: Films in this program contain themes, images, and language that may not be suitable for all ages.
Films
The Heel
Jules Daddio, also known as Skylar Grey, is an up-and-coming female wrestler from North Haven, Connecticut. Jules paints a picture of the professional wrestling ecosystem and grapples with the history of women’s progress in the sport.
Blind Sighted
Mitch, Jaden, and Stevie, three young students with visual impairments who attend the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind, detail common misconceptions and their struggles for accurate representation.
Fursona
In Pessamit, Canada, Aly reflects upon the importance of their fursona, Dexter. Dexter helps Aly bring joy to others through his extroverted and social attitude.
The Capoeristas
A group of Chicagoans find companionship in the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira, exploring how it connects them not only to their community but also to their lost heritage.
Brucey
This multimedia documentary follows Brucey–sailing slang for anchor–and his family as they give insight into the fishing trade and their connection to the ocean in Gaza.
Sponsors
Presented by 
212 W Van Buren St., Suite 400
