Poetics of Life and Death: Short Films from Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine

Presented in collaboration with the Southwest Asia and North Africa Program (SWANA), this program features a selection of short films from Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine that screened at the Festival de Cine Libanés 2026 in Mexico City. 

There will be a Q&A with festival director Ginger Jabbour and select filmmakers to follow the screening.

The program will feature:

The Prison (Syria)

Directed by Shaam Joli, 14 minutes

Based on a true story, The Prison follows a young Syrian student who is arrested on the street and imprisoned without warning. Subjected to torture and sexual violence, she struggles to survive a system designed to silence and dehumanize her. The film gives a face and a voice to the countless victims, too often reduced to mere statistics.
 

There Are Rumors That We Left (Syria-Lebanon)

Directed by Joyce Oska, 13 minutes

Amid the war, Joelle, a young single mother, struggles to protect her daughter after a terrorist attack destroys a nearby school bus. When a travel ban leaves her eight-year-old daughter stranded, Joelle has no choice but to smuggle her across the Syrian-Lebanese border.
 

A Dream Pointing to Aadchit (Lebanon)

Directed by Ghinwa Yassine, 18 minutes

Haunted by a recurring dream in which her grandfather tends the land of her childhood, G decides to return to Aadchit, a small village in southern Lebanon, where she discovers that the war has forever transformed her memories.
 

Abu Jabal (Palestine)

Directed by Bisan Owda, 19 minutes

After seven months of displacement, Tahani and her daughter Sidra return to the ruins of their home in Khan Yunis. Confronted with devastating loss, they find their only refuge beside the grave of Abu Jabal—Tahani’s son and Sidra’s brother, whose name means “mountain” in Arabic.
 

Adas Falesteen (Palestine)

Directed by Samar Taher Lulu & Hamid Khalil Elhusseini, 7 minutes

Amid the famine caused by the war on Gaza, a Palestinian chef transforms his passion for cooking into an act of resistance. Through a community kitchen, he prepares lentil meals for those facing hunger, nourishing not only their bodies but also a shared spirit of solidarity, resilience, and hope.

Free admission! Sponsored by Southwest Asia and North Africa Program (SWANA) and cosponsored by the Department of Near Eastern Studies.

Part of our "Campus Collaborations" program. Courtesy of the filmmakers and the Festival de Cine Libanés.

Please visit our Content Advisory page to access resources for identifying sensitive content and evaluating the age-appropriateness of each film title.