You Come from Far Away, a film by Amal Ramsis (Egypt)

You Come from Far Away, a film by Amal Ramsis (Egypt)

Imagine that you have siblings but you can’t talk to them because you don’t speak the same language. Imagine that you have parents but you were raised without them. The film tells the extraordinary story of a Palestinian family dispersed the turmoil that steered the last century, as if the 20th century was summed up in the life of a single family: From the Spanish Civil War in which the father Najati Sidki fought against Franco to World War II, Nakba and Lebanese Civil War.

Synopsis

The role of Arabs in the Spanish Civil War has only been associated with the Moroccan troops who were brought to Spain by Franco in order to fight against the Republicans. This image has been predominant throughout the last several decades, overshadowing the existence of the many other Arabs who were among the international volunteers who defended democracy. The story of Sidki, a Palestinian journalist who came to Spain as one such volunteer, reveals this little-known historical fact. The war was a turning point for Sidki’s family, and particularly for his eldest daughter Dulia, who was stuck in Russia for 20 years and had to live her life separated from her family. The turmoil that steered the 20th century dispersed Sidki’s family: the Spanish Civil War, World War II, the Nakba and the Lebanese Civil War; the 1900s are retraced through the story of this one family. (Source: Facebook)

Biography

Amal Ramsis is an Egyptian filmmaker who was born and raised in Cairo. She has conducted numerous workshops around the world with women who have no experience in filmmaking. Ramsis is the founder and the director of Cairo International Women’s Film Festival.

Her films “Only Dreams” (2005) “Life” (2008), “Forbidden” (2011) and “The Trace of the Butterfly” (2014), screened in many festivals have received several international awards.

Image Source: Twitter