A filmmaker excavates the hidden childhood home movies recorded by his mother during the tumultuous early 2000s in the West Bank.
Director: Yousef Srouji
Runtime: 61
In-person: Yousef Srouji
Fest Year: 2024
In the early 2000s, Israel’s military retaliated against the Palestinian uprising in the West Bank, resulting in a years-long siege. Suha, married and a mother of two, coped by picking up her camera to document her family’s day-to-day experience. With her children struggling to sleep, bombings in the near distance, and the reality of the situation seeping closer and closer, the family is faced with a tough decision. Nearly two decades later, her son discovers her hidden archive of home movies. Three Promises tells the intimate story of a Christian family, in lockdown, facing the hardest decision of all: leave your home behind to protect your family, or risk it all to stay in the place you love? This film speaks to a mother’s love, the meaning of home, and survival amidst the worst circumstances. (KM)
This film contains images of bombings and explosions.