Farha

Farha is a 14 year old girl living in a small village in 1948 Palestine. Girls her age are traditionally married off or spoken for, yet Farha yearns to continue her education despite traditions and the restrictions on schooling in her village. Inseparable from her best friend Farida, who lives in the city and spends weekends in the village, Farha dreams of joining her at a school in the city. Life in the village is threatened and aggressively changed by the looming danger. Just when Farha’s father is finally convinced and Farha’s dream is at last coming true, the danger comes closer to their village.

As violence escalates, Farha is brutally separated from Farida. Fearing for his daughter’s safety and life, Farha’s father locks her in a concealed storage space by the house, promising to return. But he never does. Over the course of the next few days, Farha undergoes a life-changing experience while buried in the tight dark space, her only connection to the outside world being a small hole in the wall and a few cracks in the wooden door. Farha witnesses events both outside and inside the room, setting off her journey of transformation and forcing her to leave her childhood behind.

Copresented by Women in Film and Video New England.