Sameh Zoabi – New York City, New York

Project Title: A Day with My Father

A film student at Columbia University in New York, Mr. Sameh Zoabi is on the path of producing a short film – A Day with My Father – about the Zionist-Palestinian conflict through the viewpoint of a child. The film is a short “slice of life” narrative that examines the father/son relationship and how the tense political conflict affects this relationship.

According to Zoabi, A Day with My Father tells the story of a Palestinian boy and his weary father in the uncertain and terror-stricken communities of Israel and Palestine. “We follow them on their journey home to Nazareth after having spent the day at a family funeral in Jenin.” The story starts as the father and the son drive home while leaving their wife/mother behind with her family after the funeral.

The film observes the humorous and mundane struggles between an overprotective father and an assertive son. A simply family trip to bury the dead is affected by the political situation in geographic Palestine. Police checkpoints and spontaneous skirmishes are barriers that they must navigate around in to return home.

Sameh Zoabi, the director, screen writer, and producer of this short film grew up in Iksal, a Palestinian village close to Nazareth. He received his B.A. in Film Studies and English from Tel Aviv University and is currently completing his M.F.A. in Film Direction at Columbia University.