Farha, released last week on Netflix, offers a window into the atrocities and ethnic cleansing faced by Palestinians during Nakba.
Nakba, which means “catastrophe” in Arabic, describes the forced displacement of Palestinians during 1948. At least 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes and thousands were killed by Zionist military forces.
Despite heavy criticism from Israel and a smear campaign, the film is proving to be a hit.
Farha has received rave reviews and has been shown in several film festivals worldwide. It is also Jordan’s Oscar nominee for 2023.
The movie is amongst the top ten in several countries in the Middle East and is the most streamed Netflix film in Jordan.
Written and directed by Jordanian Darin J. Sallam, the film revolves around the experiences of a young Palestinian girl, a plucky 14-year-old called Farha.
During the Nakba, she is locked in a storage room by her father to protect her from the massacre that takes place in her village. When Israeli occupation forces arrive, Farha witnesses the death of an entire family, which includes two small children and a baby.
“We will not be silenced.”
The film’s director and producers released a statement that condemned the coordinated attacks by the Israeli government and media to discredit the movie.
The smear campaign includes sending hateful messages to the filmmakers and trying to lower the film’s ratings on IMDB.com.
“The attempts to silence our voices as Semite/Arabs and as Women filmmakers to dehumanise us and prevent us from telling our stories and our truth are against any freedom of speech,” the statement read.
“We are overwhelmed by the amount of support the film is receiving globally and are grateful to everyone who is doing their part to stand up against this attack and ensure the film is spoken about and seen.
“All the campaigning against Farha will not deter us from our goal which is to share the film and the story it tells with audiences worldwide.
“The film exists, we exist, and we will not be silenced.”
Image: A still from ‘Farha
