The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the film’s directors, Muna Khalidi and Carol Mansour (via Zoom), in conversation with Khaled Dawas (in-person).

Speakers

Filmmakers Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi follow British-Palestinian reconstructive surgeon Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah from Beirut to Amman, London, Kuwait, and Dubai, tracing his journey after 43 exhausting days working day and night under bombardment in Gaza’s Al Shifa and Al Ahli hospitals. From the heart of the emergency rooms, Abu Sittah emerges not only as a witness to unimaginable suffering but also as a compassionate voice of resilience and hope for Palestine.

Carol Mansour is an independent documentary filmmaker who is deeply passionate about social justice and human rights issues and believes that film is an important medium that gives voice to the marginalized. After ten years of working in television, she founded Forward Film Production in 2000 in Beirut, Lebanon. With over 24 years in documentary production, Mansour has covered the world from Sri Lanka to Lebanon to Yemen to Uzbekistan. She has achieved international recognition and honor for her films, with over one hundred film festival screenings and official selections worldwide.

Muna Khalidi holds a Ph.D. in health policy and planning, and with more than 34 years of experience working in the social and health development fields in Lebanon and the region. She has worked with various development and health organizations assisting them to develop strategic plans and to design and develop programs. In 2011, she started collaborating with Carol Mansour on the research and production of documentary films dealing with issues of social justice and human rights, bringing her experience in the academic, public, private, and NGO sectors into the documentary-making field.

Dr Khaled Dawas is Head of the Upper GI  Surgery Service at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) and an Honorary Associate Professor at University College London. He has been outspoken about the systematic destruction of the healthcare system in Gaza, sharing widely his personal experience of volunteering with the International Rescue Committee and Medical Aid for Palestinians in Gaza’s Al Aqsa hospital. For 8 years he chaired the board of trustees for the Hanoon Foundation, a British-registered charity, founded in 1997 to advance medical education in Palestine.

Donations

All donations from this year’s festival will go to Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), providing humanitarian assistance as well as health and social services to Palestinians whenever and wherever needed. You can donate here.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the film’s directors, Muna Khalidi and Carol Mansour (via Zoom), in conversation with Khaled Dawas (in-person).

Filmmakers Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi follow British-Palestinian reconstructive surgeon Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah from Beirut to Amman, London, Kuwait, and Dubai, tracing his journey after 43 exhausting days working day and night under bombardment in Gaza’s Al Shifa and Al Ahli hospitals. From the heart of the emergency rooms, Abu Sittah emerges not only as a witness to unimaginable suffering but also as a compassionate voice of resilience and hope for Palestine.

Carol Mansour is an independent documentary filmmaker who is deeply passionate about social justice and human rights issues and believes that film is an important medium that gives voice to the marginalized. After ten years of working in television, she founded Forward Film Production in 2000 in Beirut, Lebanon. With over 24 years in documentary production, Mansour has covered the world from Sri Lanka to Lebanon to Yemen to Uzbekistan. She has achieved international recognition and honor for her films, with over one hundred film festival screenings and official selections worldwide.

Muna Khalidi holds a Ph.D. in health policy and planning, and with more than 34 years of experience working in the social and health development fields in Lebanon and the region. She has worked with various development and health organizations assisting them to develop strategic plans and to design and develop programs. In 2011, she started collaborating with Carol Mansour on the research and production of documentary films dealing with issues of social justice and human rights, bringing her experience in the academic, public, private, and NGO sectors into the documentary-making field.

Dr Khaled Dawas is Head of the Upper GI  Surgery Service at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) and an Honorary Associate Professor at University College London. He has been outspoken about the systematic destruction of the healthcare system in Gaza, sharing widely his personal experience of volunteering with the International Rescue Committee and Medical Aid for Palestinians in Gaza’s Al Aqsa hospital. For 8 years he chaired the board of trustees for the Hanoon Foundation, a British-registered charity, founded in 1997 to advance medical education in Palestine.

All donations from this year’s festival will go to Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), providing humanitarian assistance as well as health and social services to Palestinians whenever and wherever needed. You can donate here.