18th Arab Film Festival Opening Night

Wednesday, September 25 at 7:30pm

SOLD OUT - A limited number of RUSH tickets may be available at the door.

ABOUT THE FILM

In her early twenties, Hiam Abbas left her native Palestinian village to follow her dream of becoming an actor in Europe, leaving behind her mother, grandmother, and seven sisters. Thirty years later, she returns to the village with her daughter, filmmaker Lina Soualem. They question Hiam’s mother for the first time about her bold decisions and chosen exile, as well as the way the women in their family influenced both of their lives. Set between past and present, Bye Bye Tiberias pieces together images of today with family footage from the nineties and historical archives to portray four generations of daring Palestinian women who keep their story and legacy alive in the face of exile, dispossession, and heartbreak through the strength of their bonds.

Made possible by the estate of Dr. Inaam Matar

FILMMAKER BIO

Lina Soualem is a French-Palestinian-Algerian filmmaker and actor born and based in Paris. After studying history and political science at La Sorbonne University, Soualem worked as a programmer for the International Human Rights Film Festival in Buenos Aires. Her debut feature, Their Algeria, premiered in Visions du Réel International Film Festival in 2020. Her second feature, Bye Bye Tiberias, premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2023.

PRESENTED BY MIZNA

Celebrating 25 years in 2024, Mizna is a critical platform for contemporary literature, film, art, and cultural production centering the work of Arab and Southwest Asian and North African artists. For more than twenty years, we have been creating a decolonized cultural space to reflect the expansiveness of our community and to foster exchange, examine ideas, and engage audiences in meaningful art.