Screening of Bye Bye Tiberias with Director Lina Soualem
Bye Bye Tiberias (Bye bye Tibériade)
Lina Soualem, 2023, 82 min.In French and Palestinian Arabic with English Subtitles
Screening followed by a Q&A with Director Lina Soualem and Thomas Dodman
Register here
In her early twenties, Hiam Abbass left her native Palestinian village to pursue her dream of becoming an actress in Europe, leaving behind her mother, grandmother, and seven sisters. Thirty years later, her filmmaker daughter Lina returns with her to the village, questioning for the first time her mother’s bold choices, her self-imposed exile, and the profound influence the women in their family have had on both their lives.
Set between past and present, Bye Bye Tiberias weaves together contemporary imagery, family footage from the 1990s, and historical archives to portray four generations of courageous Palestinian women. Through their enduring bonds, they preserve their stories and legacy, despite exile, dispossession, and heartbreak.
Trailer here
French-Palestinian-Algerian filmmaker and actress Lina Soualem was born and is based in Paris. After studying History and Political Science at La Sorbonne University, she worked as a programmer for the International Human Rights Film Festival in Buenos Aires. Soualem’s debut feature documentary, Their Algeria, premiered at the 2020 Visions du Réel International Film Festival and went on to win several prestigious awards, including the First Film Award at CINEMED Montpellier International Festival of Mediterranean Film, the Best Arab Documentary Award at El Gouna Film Festival, and the Best Documentary Award at CINEMANIA Film Festival 2021, among many others. Bye Bye Tiberias premiered at Venice Days in 2023.
In addition to her work behind the camera, Lina Soualem has acted in three feature films directed by Hafsia Herzi, Hiam Abbass, and Rayhana. She is currently developing projects as a writer in fiction, documentaries, and TV series.
Thomas Dodman is Associate Professor of French and Director of the History & Literature Program at Columbia University.
Produced by Maison Française and co-sponsored by the MESAAS and Middle East Institute at Columbia University.
Join us for the first screening on the theme of “In the Middle: Women Documenting Arab Struggles”, on Feb 14 Bye Bye Tiberias by Lina Soualem in presence of the director.
