GHADA - Songs of Palestine

This is a documentary follows the life of a Palestinian woman who born and raised in a Gaza refugee camp. Through the camera are seen her engagement, wedding, and the birth of her first child, followed by her journey to record the histories of her grandmother and other elderly Palestinian women who were driven from their homeland.

Ghada, living in Gaza where old Islamic customs remain, refuses a traditional wedding and embarks on a life as a new Palestinian woman.

With the outbreak of the second Intifada (resistance), Ghada awakens to her own identity as a Palestinian, and the memories of songs and stories of the homeland that her grandmother would tell her as a child are brought back to her. She then starts to collect stories from women of her grandmother's generation about the 1948 Diaspora.

Ghada is fascinated by the devoted attachment to the homeland of a 100-year-old woman named Haleema, who, near the end of her life, had her home destroyed by Israeli troops. In the life of a farm laborer, Um Haseem, Ghada sees the roots of rural Palestine and is reminded of her own homeland, Beat Daras.

This is the tale of Ghada’s progression as she resolves to connect the new era with the origins of　Palestine from the records of 1948 whilst simultaneously leading a life that is at odds with the customs of the past.

  • Mizue Furui
    Director
    What We Saw: Gaza, the Children of Samuni Family, Mothers of Fukushima, Bekoya of Fukushima,
  • Takaharu Yasuoka
    Producer
  • Akihiro Nonaka
    Producer
  • Ghada Ageel
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    ガーダ　パレスチナの詩
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 6 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 1, 2005
  • Country of Origin:
    Japan
  • Country of Filming:
    Palestine, State of
  • Language:
    Arabic, Japanese
  • Shooting Format:
    DVCAM
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Mizue Furui

Born in Shimane, Japan, in 1948. She is a member of the ASIA PRESS International and the Japan Visual Journalist Association. She has been covering Palestinians resisting the Israeli occupation in Palestine since 1988, focusing especially on women and children.

[Works]
Ghada - Songs of Palestine (2006); Bokutachi wa mita: Gaza samunike no kodomotachi (2011); Mothers of Fukushima: Eiko & Yoshiko (2016); Bekoya of Fukushima: Three Women, Three Choices (2023)

[Awards] Feature Documentary Award at the 2024 Toronto International Women Film Festival and was nominated for Best Women Film at the 2024 Cannes World Film Festival for the film, "Bekoya of Fukushima: Three Women, Three Choices"; Special Prize of the Judge of the “DAYS JAPAN International Photojournalism Award, the Grand Prize of the “Ishibashi Tanzan Memorial” and the Namiko Arai Prize of the “Peace & Cooperative Journalist Found of Japan Award” for the film, “Ghada - Songs of Palestine” in 2006; the Grand Prize of the “ZA-KOENJI Documentary Festival Competition” for the film, “What We Saw – Gaza, The Children of Samuni Family” in 2012

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Director Statement

I concentrated on highlighting women in Palestine who have historically been overlooked. This film portrays the life of Ghada, a Palestinian refugee woman who embraces her identity as a woman and a mother. It follows her journey from engagement to marriage and child-rearing, showcasing her resilience in the face of the realities of Israeli occupation. I hope that many people will see this film.