The intimate story of eight decades of Palestinian life is explored in the acclaimed new feature by Cherien Dabis, All That’s Left of You, screening at the Palace Cinema in Byron Bay on Friday, 29 May.
Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo are executive producers of this deeply moving epic chronicling the loves, hopes, losses and traumas of a Palestinian family across seven decades, with Dabis starring alongside the brilliant Bakri dynasty — brothers Saleh Bakri (The Blue Caftan) and Adam Bakri (Omar), and their father, the late Mohammad Bakri (Wajib).
In the occupied West Bank, 1988, a young man named Noor joins a protest that is met with devastating violence. Decades later, his mother Hanan (Dabis) sets out to tell the story of her son – but to do so, she must first return to 1948, to recount his grandfather’s (Adam Bakri) expulsion from Jaffa.
Across the generations that follow, the hope of return to that home endures as both aspiration and wound, even as the family is carried further from it. Through all the disappointments and devastation, there abides the love story between Hanan and her devoted husband, Salim (Saleh Bakri).
Art that means something
Distributor of the film and founder of Cultural Media, Palestinian Naser Shakhtour, told The Echo, ‘There’s a reason films like this find their audience in places like Byron, people here show up for art that actually means something.’
‘Australian audiences have been hungry for this kind of storytelling – sweeping, intimate, and completely uncompromising. It’s the kind of film that stays with you for weeks.’
Shot across multiple countries after the production crew was evacuated from Palestine mid-filming, ‘the film bears witness to history, not through politics alone, but through the texture of a family’s survival,’ say promoters.
‘Following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, selection as Jordan’s official entry for the 98th Academy Awards, and Audience Award at the Sydney Film Festival, Cultural Media, a social impact initiative promoting Palestinian art and culture, and Northern Rivers Friends of Palestine are proud to show this astounding film,’ said a spokesperson.
You can see a trailer for the film here.
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