Fadia's Tree
While millions of birds migrate freely in the skies, Fadia, a Palestinian refugee in Lebanon, yearns for the ancestral homeland she is denied. She challenges the director, Sarah, to find an ancient mulberry tree that stands as witness to her family's existence - with only inherited memories, a blind man and a two-headed dragon as her guides. Along the way, Sarah meets with ornithologists whose observations on the homing instincts of the of birds that pass through the area, inadvertently reveal the unresolved problems of the region.
Spanning fifteen years, this story of a friendship that stays connected across a divided land and a fragmented people adopts a birds’ eye perspective to reflect on freedom of movement, exile and the hope of return.
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Sarah BeddingtonDirectorShort films: The Logic of the Birds, Elegy to Mamilla, Shanghai Moon, Brief Encounter, Lost in Space
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Susan SimnettProducerShort Film: Baba
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Sarah BeddingtonProducerShort films: The Logic of the Birds, Elegy to Mamilla, Shanghai Moon, Brief Encounter, Lost in Space
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Sarah BeddingtonWriterShort films: The Logic of the Birds, Elegy to Mamilla, Shanghai Moon, Brief Encounter, Lost in Space
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Project Type:Documentary, Feature
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Genres:Documentary
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Runtime:1 hour 22 minutes 10 seconds
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Completion Date:November 5, 2021
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Country of Origin:United Kingdom
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Country of Filming:Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, State of
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Language:Arabic, English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:1.78.1
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Film Color:Black & White and Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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British Independent Film Awards - Discovery nomination
United Kingdom
Discovery Award - Nomination -
Donostia-San Sebastian HRFF - Amnesty International AwardDonsotia - San Sebastian
Spain
April 7, 2022
Spanish
Winner - Amnesty International Award for Best Feature Film -
Karama Human Rights Festival - Feather AwardAmman
Jordan
December 7, 2021
Winner Best Documentary -
Barnes Film Festival - Best DocumentaryLondon
United Kingdom
June 21, 2022
Best Feature Documentary -
Palestine Cinema Days - Sunbird nominationRamallah
Palestine, State of
November 3, 2021
World
Sunbird Documentary Competition -
London Palestine FestivalLondon
United Kingdom
November 27, 2021
International -
Seoul Human Rights Film FestivalSeoul
Korea, Republic of
September 25, 2022
Premiere
Official Selection -
Mizna Twin Cities Arab Film FestivalMinnesota
United States
September 28, 2022
Official Selection -
Boston Palestine Film FestivalBoston
United States
October 14, 2022
Official Selection -
Red Carpet HRFF - GazaGaza
Palestine, State of
October 17, 2022
Official Selection -
Palestine Film Festival - AustraliaSydney
Australia
November 2, 2022
Official Selection -
Arab Film Festival - San FranciscoSan Francisco
United States -
Leeds Palestine Film FestivalLeeds
United Kingdom -
Blow Up Chicago International Art House Film FestivalChicago
United States
Semi-Finalist -
Bristol Palestine Film FestivalBristol
United Kingdom
December 8, 2022 -
FilmBath FestivalBath
United Kingdom
November 6, 2022
Distribution Information
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Verve Pictures - UKDistributorCountry: United Kingdom
Sarah Beddington is a British artist and filmmaker currently based in London. Her research-based works in film and video, sculpture, performance and public art, explore the overlaps between the historical, the mythical and the everyday, often focusing on journeys and migration. Traces in the landscape, the role of memory and non-chronological histories are also important components in her work that can allow for seemingly disparate elements to become connected, opening up spaces to imagine alternate realities and possible future scenarios.
After completing a Masters Degree in Fine Art at Central Saint Martin’s in 1996, Beddington gradually shifted her focus from painting towards the moving image, especially after relocating to New York in 2002. She has completed many multi and single-screen film and video works that have been shown internationally in film festivals, museums, non-profit spaces and galleries including: Sheffield DocFest; Liverpool Biennale; Centre Pompidou, Paris; MASS MoCA, USA; FidMarseille International Film Festival; LOOP film and video festival, Barcelona; San Francisco Film Festival; Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio and The Drawing Center, New York.
A chance encounter fifteen years ago introduced me to Fadia Loubani. I felt an instant rapport and I greatly respected the unwavering determination in her work. When she suggested I make a film, I didn’t want to repeat the already much documented, nor frame the same polarised rhetoric. Whilst living in the Old City of Jerusalem I discovered the work of local ornithologists and was struck by the contrasting freedom of the birds migrating through the skies and Fadia’s enforced stasis on the ground. Her subsequent challenge to find an ancient mulberry tree that marked her ancestral home was a turning point that came with much responsibility - if alive, the tree would stand as testament to Fadia’s historic and cultural identity.
The spread of Covid-19 across the planet has created a sense of isolation and timelessness, curbing movement and freedoms once taken for granted. These privations have been endured by the people in the film every day, for many decades. It feels timely to re-examine their situation and I hope that the perspective of the film may help reopen the debate and find a resolution for the largest group of people held in limbo for the longest period of time.