Palestinian Voices Shine at Sundance Film Festival 2025

Photo : AFP

At the Sundance film festival, one of the most special films shown this year was All That’s Left of You. It is a film about a Palestinian family and their struggles over many years. Directed by Palestinian filmmaker Dabis, the movie tells the story of a family that was forced to leave their home in Jaffa in 1948 and move to the West Bank. The film follows them through the generations, showing their pain, survival, and the long-lasting effects of being forced to leave their home.

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The movie cost between $5-8 million to make and is one of two Palestinian films shown at this year’s Sundance festival, which is a big deal for Palestinian movies in the Western world. “Everyone was so excited to work on this film, knowing it was an important moment for Palestinians,” said Dabis. But making the film wasn’t easy. “It’s hard to make any film, but making a Palestinian film is even harder,” she explained.

It’s difficult to raise money for films like this. Dabis believes that people are afraid to tell stories about Palestine because of the politics involved. “People are scared to tell these stories. It’s hard to get money for them,” she added.

The film is very personal. It covers many years, starting in 1948, and focuses on a mother’s pain in 1988 when her son is hurt during a Palestinian uprising. Dabis plays the role of the mother. The story is based on real events from Dabis's own life, especially times when she was a child in the West Bank. She remembers watching her father being treated badly by Israeli soldiers. "I thought they were going to kill him," she said.

The film shows some very sad moments, like a father being treated badly in front of his young son. These kinds of experiences were common for Dabis’s family. “These are stories from my life and my family,” Dabis said.

Even though the film is very personal, it is about something bigger, and some people may not agree with the message. Dabis says the film is not meant to be political, but she knows it will bring up political questions. “We should be able to tell our stories without worrying about political problems,” she said. “But we often fear those problems before we even start telling our stories.”

Sadly, in October 2023, more violence broke out. After the Hamas attack on Israel, many lives were lost on both sides. Dabis and her team had to leave, but they finished making the film in Jordan, Cyprus, and Greece. “I’m still surprised we finished the film,” Dabis said.

Even though the film is finished, it still does not have a company to show it in theaters. Dabis hopes this will change soon, as she believes the world needs to hear these kinds of stories. “People need to understand that our stories are missing from the big films,” she said.

Also at Sundance is another film called Coexistence My Ass! which follows a Jewish woman, Noam Shuster-Eliassi, who uses comedy to talk about peace and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There is also another documentary, No Other Land, about Palestinians forced to leave their homes in the West Bank. Both of these films still do not have a company to distribute them in the United States. This shows that Palestinian voices still struggle to find a place in the film world.

Amber Fares, the director of Coexistence My Ass!, said, “The movie industry needs to see that there is a need for these kinds of films. People want to watch them.” Dabis agrees, saying that audiences are beginning to understand the importance of these stories. “People are starting to realize that our stories are missing from the media,” she said.

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