Returning to Haifa
A screening of Qassem Hawal’s film as part of the “Palestine Cinema Days Around the World” events.
About the Event
Wekalet Behna hosted a screening of Returning to Haifa, a film by Iraqi filmmaker Qassem Hawal, based on the novel by Ghassan Kanafani, on Monday, November 2. The screening was part of Palestinian Cinema Days Around the World, which returns this year to bring together screenings in cities and countries across the globe, coinciding with the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. This cross-border event transforms cinema into a space for memory and solidarity, making our gathering around films a shared cultural act of solidarity with Palestine.
Film Synopsis
On April 21, 1948, life in the once-peaceful Palestinian city of Haifa turned into something resembling hell, as the city came under mortar shelling. The residents were forced to flee their homes and leave their homeland. One Palestinian family was forced to leave behind their child, Khaldoun, unable to reach home to take him along on their journey into exile. For the next twenty years, the search for him would remain an enduring preoccupation for the family.
