Yousef Srouji
Documentary
Palestine
61’ | 2023
Arabic with English subtitles
A mother films her family's life while sheltering from Israel’s attacks during the Second Intifada in the West Bank. Her son revisits the past through this footage, delivering a heart-breaking portrait of the anguish of parents forced to choose between their children’s safety and the emotional upheaval of leaving home.
Scriptwriter: Yousef Srouji, Marielle Olentine & Mahdokht Mahmoudabadi
Cinematography: Suha Khamis & Mashal Kawasmi
Editor: Mahdokht Mahmoudabadi
Sound Designer: Dani Masaadeh (Rum Pictures)
Original Score: Ghiya Rushidat
Producer: Marielle Olentine
Co-Producer: Zein Khleif
Colorist: Sherif Fathy (The Cell)
Yousef is a first time documentary filmmaker and longtime storyteller. His work centers around understanding the dynamics of occupation in Palestine, and community resilience in conflict zones. He holds a Master of Development Practice from UC Berkeley and hopes to use his skills to aid and empower marginalized communities in the Middle East. Yousef spent the first part of his childhood in Palestine, then relocated to Qatar with his family in the midst of the Second Intifada. He attended the University of British Columbia, where he earned a BA in Economics. He has been a fellow with the SFFilm Catapult Documentary Fellowship & the Gotham Documentary Feature Lab and a grantee of the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC.) His film Three Promises won Best Documentary at Camden International Film Festival and DocPoint and Audience Awards at Docs Ireland and MENA Film Festival.