Carol Mansour's film documents her own intimate take on the act of return, chronicling the secret journey of burying her mother Aida's ashes in what remains of her home in Palestine, despite the constraints placed by the settler colonial project. Following this journey, the film offers personal reflections on the practice of return, weaving together thoughts on the homeland, the Palestinian experience, memory, and the ongoing reality of Palestinian life in Yaffa under settler colonialism today.
The film will be screened in Arabic and French with English subtitles. The screening will be followed by a discussion with director Carol Mansour and producer Muna Khalidi.
Carol Mansour is an independent documentary film maker with over 25 years in documentary production who has achieved international recognition and honor for her films, with over seventy worldwide film festival screenings and official selections worldwide. Her films have won numerous prestigious awards. Carol’s work reflects her concern for human rights and social justice, covering issues such as migrant workers, refugees, environmental issues, mental health, rights of the disabled, war and memory, right to health, and child labor.
Muna Khalidi holds a Ph.D. in health policy and planning from the London School of Economics, and has more than 30 years’ experience working in the health and social development fields in Lebanon and the region. She has worked with a range of organizations and institutions in the public, private, academic, NGO, INGO, and UN sectors in a variety of functions. Muna has worked extensively within the Palestinian community in the camps of Lebanon. Muna began collaborating with Carol Mansour on the research and production of documentary films in 2012. Focusing on films dealing with issues of social justice and human rights, Muna brings her development experience into the documentary-making field Muna is on the board of directors of a number of local organizations working within Palestinian and other refugee communities. Muna is Lebanese/ Jordanian of Palestinian origin.