Bye Bye Tiberias (2023) — Lina Soualem

France/Belgium/Occupied Palestinian Territory/Qatar, DCP, 82 mins.

18th Arab Film Festival Opening Night! Opening night reception with light refreshments from 6:30–7:30pm in the Main Cinema Lobby!

In her early twenties, Hiam Abbas left her native Palestinian village to follow her dream of becoming an actor in Europe, leaving behind her mother, grandmother, and seven sisters. Thirty years later, she returns to the village with her daughter, filmmaker Lina Soualem. They question Hiam’s mother for the first time about her bold decisions and chosen exile, as well as the way the women in their family influenced both of their lives. Set between past and present, Bye Bye Tiberias pieces together images of today with family footage from the nineties and historical archives to portray four generations of daring Palestinian women who keep their story and legacy alive in the face of exile, dispossession, and heartbreak through the strength of their bonds.