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“My Ancestors Spoke for Me”: Cherien Dabis at the 23rd FICM

Sofía Alvarado

The Palestinian-American director, producer, screenwriter and actress Cherien Dabis presented her latest film All That's Left of You (2024) at the 23rd Morelia International Film Festival (FICM).

Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, All That's Left of You tells the story of a family that has endured trauma for decades. After a Palestinian teenager confronts Israeli soldiers at a protest in the West Bank, and his mother recounts the series of events that led to that fateful moment, starting with the forced displacement of her father, his grandfather.

With executive producers Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem, the film is Jordan's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the upcoming Oscars.

During the presentation, Cherien Dabis said that telling these stories “makes me feel very excited, presenting the film during the genocide is very important to me,” and “it’s one of the biggest challenges of my life.”

It took five years of preparation and documentation to create this work, though the story has been part of her life since she was a child: “My family was an inspiration for me to write this story; my ancestors spoke for me.”

For the director, it is important that this film promotes understanding of the Palestinian people, gives them a face, and conveys the message of choosing humanity. 

She explained how much effort the production team put into recreating 1940s buildings for the film. Although filming in Palestine was the original plan, the team realized how dangerous it could be.

At the end of the screening, the audience rallied for an end to the genocide and freedom for the Palestinian people.