“Farha”: The look at the Nakba through the eyes of a Palestinian girl Why one of the three Nobel laureates refused to talk to her colleague

It is the flag of the 2022 World Cup – the Palestinian flag in the pan-Arab colors of white, black, green and red. The flag is mainly raised by fans from the Arab world who want to show their solidarity with the Palestinians in the conflict against Israel. Supporters of football clubs from Arab countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Israel – such as Morocco – also celebrate with the flag.

In the midst of this presence comes a Jordanian film set in the early days of the 1948 Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

According to filmmaker Darin Sallam, Farha is based on the true events of a 14-year-old girl during the Nakba, when the state of Israel was established and more than 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes.

According to Darin Sallam, it is one of the few films that presents the cause of the conflict from a Palestinian point of view. “Farha” came out in 2021, won numerous film awards – and is now also considered a contender for an Oscar nomination.

But the film – like so many others in this conflict that has been smoldering for years – is controversial and has been accused of “lies and slander”.

An overview:

That’s what the movie “Farha” is about

Note, this section tells the whole story of the movie. If you don’t want to be spoiled, you can scroll down to the conclusion.

Farha is a girl with many dreams: despite traditional gender norms, she wants to go to school in the city to become a teacher – and then set up an educational center for girls in her village.

However, her family has another plan for the 14-year-old: she is soon to marry the boy next door.

But Farha remains stubborn. Just as her father agrees to send her to school, shots ring out. Panic breaks out in the idyllic village under the British mandate.

The residents flee – only Farha and her father are left behind. To keep his daughter safe, he locks her in a small pantry. He promises that he will return to her.

Farha, who is locked in a closed room for days, feeds on raw potatoes and survives thanks to rainwater. There is no trace of her father.

Then a Palestinian family shows up in the abandoned village. A pregnant woman and her family are looking for a safe place to give birth to their child. A small opening allows the girl to see how the child is delivered.

Farah’s hope for deliverance is great. She desperately screams for help. Only no one can hear her.

When foreign-speaking soldiers march in, hope fades further. The 14-year-old witnessed executions through the small opening. The victims: The family who took refuge in the village.

At the same time, the first scene appears, indicating that Israeli soldiers are involved. The only soldier in a yarmulke who was ordered to kill the baby could not bring himself to harm the newborn.

He left the baby unharmed – and left him to fend for himself. When Farha manages to free herself from the dining room, she finds the corpse, the baby’s corpse.

Then the girl goes off into the distance – leaving her childhood and her homeland behind. What happens to the girl next is eventually told in the credits:

conclusion and criticism

“Farha” is not a movie with big dialogues – and yet it speaks for itself. Usually set in a small, dark room, it focuses on the fate of the girl who witnesses the events through the small loophole in her hideout. is becoming.

Certain actions are very brutal. The filmmaker does not shy away from depicting the Israeli soldiers as cruelly as possible. The drama also shows the humanity of the Israeli soldiers – for example when the soldier refuses to kill the baby.

But the film tells the story from a Palestinian perspective – causing a stir in Israel.

Which events in the film are true?

This is unknown. According to Jordanian filmmaker Darin Sallam, the story is based on the stories of a friend of her mother. The two met as young women in Syria.

“I put together all these stories I heard from my grandparents and family friends to create the character of Farha,” Sallam told The Times. She never met the woman behind the story. She tried to track her down, but couldn’t.

This is how Israel reacts to the film

The film caused a stir in Israel. Because: in the historical image of Israel, the Nakba is depicted differently than from the Palestinian point of view.

In the historical picture of the Palestinians, the Nabka (catastrophe) is described as a planned expulsion of about 700,000 people by the Israeli army. Another version of the Nabka is in the Israeli history books: the Palestinians are said to have largely voluntarily fled their homeland out of “fear of impending war”.

The “Day of the Nakba,” which Palestinians commemorate on May 15, stands in contrast to Israel’s national holiday, May 14. Violent protests are common on these two days.

Now, in December, the Nabka is once again at the center of the discussions: “It’s crazy that Netflix decided to stream a movie whose sole purpose is to create and incite a false pretense against Israeli soldiers,” said the politician and former minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor. Lieberman in a statement.

Liebermann is not alone in speaking out against the film. Culture Minister Yechiel Tropper claimed that “Farha” was full of “lies and slander”. And the far-right Itamar Ben-Gvir criticized that the soldiers are portrayed as “bloodthirsty”.

But the film is not only met with aversion in Israel. Especially not in Jaffa, an old mixed-use city in Tel Aviv, where about 37 percent are Arabs. The Arab-Hebrew Theater in Jaffa, which receives state subsidies, wanted to show the film before Lieberman threatened consequences.

attempted censorship

The film generated controversy – and was also used for a “disinformation campaign” according to the producers. When the movie was released on Netflix, the IMDB movie rating site dropped the rating from 7.2 to 5.8 within hours. The film now gets an 8.6 out of 10.

For the filmmaker it is clear: “I understand that the truth hurts, but it is our right to express ourselves and share what happened to us.”

In Switzerland, «Farha» is available in English in the Netflix library.