Filmmaker Scheduled to Appear
Years after leaving Palestine to pursue an acting career, Emmy-nominated Hiam Abbass returns with her daughter in this intimate documentary about four generations of women and their shared legacy of separation. Q&A to follow.
Set between past and present, Bye Bye Tiberias pieces together images of today, family footage from the ’90s, and historical archives to portray four generations of daring Palestinian women who keep their story and legacy alive through the strength of their bonds, despite exile, dispossession, and heartbreak. In her early twenties, Hiam Abbass (Succession) left her native Palestinian village to follow her dream of becoming an actress in Europe, leaving behind her mother, grandmother, and seven sisters. Thirty years later, her filmmaker daughter Lina returns with her to the village and questions for the first time her mother’s bold choices, her chosen exile, and the way the women in their family influenced both their lives. Palestine’s entry for Best International Feature in the 2024 Academy Awards. [82 min; documentary; French and Arabic with English subtitles]
The short film The Sound of Wind will precede the feature film, followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Maria Pankova after both films.
The Sound of Wind (Maria Pankova, Ukraine, 2023): On 24 February 2022, chef Yulia loses her former life and becomes a refugee, along with her two adopted daughters, fleeing the war in Ukraine. She now works as a butcher in Scotland and her husband is in one of the most dangerous spots on the front lines. The fear and connection to war doesn’t leave her even when she is thousands of miles away. She is fighting for her children’s future, and she fears losing her husband. Devices for those who are visually impaired are available for this film. To request one, please speak to our front-of-house staff in the lobby before the event. [17 min; drama; Ukrainian with English subtitles]
“The film uses her family’s story to explore her peoples’ deep connection to land and the tension inherent in being part of a diaspora.” — Marya E. Gates, Cool People Have Feelings, Too
"Filmmaker Lina Soualem’s sentimental journey with her actress mother Hiam Abbass becomes a powerful celebration of lives marked by separation, exile, and erasure." — Allan Hunter, Screen Daily
"Bye Bye Tiberias is a beautiful portrait of four generations of women, the inherited trauma they carry and the bonds of love, shared history and memories that will always connect us to the family members who came before." — Hanna Flint, The New Arab
Any film screened at IU Cinema may contain content that viewers find sensitive or upsetting. Visit our Audience Advisories page to learn more.
