A declaration of love for Gaza and Tromsø, and a tribute to the power of storytelling!
Filmmaker Mohamed Jabaly is stateless, displaced and stranded in Tromsø. But he refuses to let it define him. He says:
"I believe in the power of storytelling. Therefore, I would like to insist that we as Palestinians must be allowed to tell our own stories, about our own lives. I've called my film LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, because that's always been my motto, despite everything I've experienced. Right now, it's hard to hold on to it, but I hope that one day life will be beautiful again." -
ABOUT THE FILM:
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL tells the story of director Mohamed Jabaly fighting for his rights as a Palestinian and filmmaker, when he was stranded in Norway for reasons that were beyond his control. Through video calls with friends and family and a personal archive from Gaza, he shares his love and longing for his hometown, while trying to create a new life for himself in the cold north.
The film had its world premiere at IDFA in Amsterdam, the world's largest and most important documentary film festival. There he won the award for best director. Later, he has received awards at several A-festivals, such as Best Film at the One World International Human Rights Film Festival in Prague, the Audience Award at Docville in Belgium, and the Gilda Vieira de Mello Award in Creative Documentary at FIFDH in Geneva.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
Jabaly is a Palestinian filmmaker, producer, and artist from Gaza. He came to Norway in 2014, and has since made a name for himself within the international film industry. He has photographed several short films, documentaries and music videos, and his first film, Ambulance, has been screened at a number of the world's largest film festivals and has won a number of high-hanging awards. Mohamed has a bachelor's degree in motion medicine from Nordland Academy of Art and Film.
Guest in the film lounge is Sarah Winge-Sørensen, who is the producer of the film.
Welcome to a very current start to the season!