Bye Bye Tiberias

As a newborn, documentary maker Lina Soualem was important in bringing her rebellious mother Hiam Abbass back to visit her Palestinian family in Israel. The rift that occurred when Hiam moved to Paris to launch what eventually became a very successful acting career (you may have seen her in Succession or Blade Runner 2049) left deep scars. Now, three decades later, the two travel back to Hiam’s village to gather the threads of the family, and the lives that were lived during at times challenging circumstances.

Although the film has its main focus on familial ties, the Israel-Palestine conflict always lies in the background like an aching wound. The war is the reason why some family members disappear for long periods. It is because of the war that the places from the family's past no longer remain. "...but that house is no longer standing" we often hear during the film. "That village no longer exists". It is a brutal reminder of what families like this one have had to endure over many, many generations.