Private Project

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.

  • Sarah Beddington
    Director
    Short films: The Logic of the Birds, Elegy to Mamilla, Shanghai Moon, Brief Encounter, Lost in Space
  • Susan Simnett
    Producer
    Short Film: Baba
  • Sarah Beddington
    Producer
    Short films: The Logic of the Birds, Elegy to Mamilla, Shanghai Moon, Brief Encounter, Lost in Space
  • Sarah Beddington
    Writer
    Short films: The Logic of the Birds, Elegy to Mamilla, Shanghai Moon, Brief Encounter, Lost in Space
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Genres:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 22 minutes 10 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 5, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, State of
  • Language:
    Arabic, English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.78.1
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • British Independent Film Awards - Discovery nomination

    United Kingdom
    Discovery Award - Nomination
  • Donostia-San Sebastian HRFF - Amnesty International Award
    Donsotia - San Sebastian
    Spain
    April 7, 2022
    Spanish
    Winner - Amnesty International Award for Best Feature Film
  • Karama Human Rights Festival - Feather Award
    Amman
    Jordan
    December 7, 2021
    Winner Best Documentary
  • Barnes Film Festival - Best Documentary
    London
    United Kingdom
    June 21, 2022
    Best Feature Documentary
  • Palestine Cinema Days - Sunbird nomination
    Ramallah
    Palestine, State of
    November 3, 2021
    World
    Sunbird Documentary Competition
  • London Palestine Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    November 27, 2021
    International
  • Seoul Human Rights Film Festival
    Seoul
    Korea, Republic of
    September 25, 2022
    Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Mizna Twin Cities Arab Film Festival
    Minnesota
    United States
    September 28, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Boston Palestine Film Festival
    Boston
    United States
    October 14, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Red Carpet HRFF - Gaza
    Gaza
    Palestine, State of
    October 17, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Palestine Film Festival - Australia
    Sydney
    Australia
    November 2, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Arab Film Festival - San Francisco
    San Francisco
    United States
  • Leeds Palestine Film Festival
    Leeds
    United Kingdom
  • Blow Up Chicago International Art House Film Festival
    Chicago
    United States
    Semi-Finalist
  • Bristol Palestine Film Festival
    Bristol
    United Kingdom
    December 8, 2022
  • FilmBath Festival
    Bath
    United Kingdom
    November 6, 2022
Distribution Information
  • Verve Pictures - UK
    Distributor
    Country: United Kingdom
Director Biography - Sarah Beddington

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.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

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.