Mornings in Jenin
Fall Grants 2020 - Development Stage
Annemarie Jacir / TV Series / Palestine, United States of America, United Kingdom, Qatar / Original Language: Arabic, English / Interests: Drama, Politics, Family, Exile
Synopsis
Philadelphia 2001. Amal lives an unremarkable life with her daughter, Sara, but mother and daughter are becoming estranged through Amal’s attempts to bury the past. Then Amal receives a phone call, a call that she has been both dreading and anticipating for the last 30 years. The next day a man arrives at the house, a 50-year-old Israeli named David. This encounter forms the framework to go back to the Nakba of 1948, where the lives of Amal and Yousef are torn apart when their brother Ismail is snatched by an Israeli soldier (and is brought up as David). Over the course of the following 50 years in Palestine, Lebanon, and the USA we see how the paths of the three siblings intertwine and collide in painful and dramatic ways—the painful exodus from their home near Haifa; the growing closeness of Amal and Yousef as they suffer the loss of both parents; in Shatila camp in Lebanon when Amal loses her husband; at an Israeli checkpoint when David the IDF soldier encounters his brother Yousef; and ultimately on Amal’s return to Palestine, and the refugee camp in Jenin, some 30 years after her departure. Amal finds a final moment of redemption and acknowledgement, as well as a rekindling of the love and understanding between her and her daughter.
Credits
- Director
- Annemarie Jacir
- Screenwriter
- Ismail Khalidi, Naomi Wallace
- Producer
- Alison Sterling
- Production Company
- Ignition Films
About the Director
Annemarie has written, directed and produced over sixteen films with premieres in Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Locarno, and Toronto. All three features were Palestine’s Oscar entries. Founder of Philistine Films, she regularly collaborates as editor, screenwriter and producer with fellow filmmakers. With a commitment to hiring locally, Annemarie also mentors and actively promotes Arab cinema. She has been a jury member to numerous festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, and Sundance and is a member of the Asia Pacific Screen Academy, AMPAS and BAFTA.