Marked by ethnic and cultural diversity, Rio Grande do Sul now houses thousands of Palestinian immigrants and their descendants. The communities born of the nakba – the Arabic word whose meaning is catastrophe or disaster – seek, in the diaspora, full integration and a new citizenship in Brazil. Today, they try to survive, grow and gain recognition for their economic, social and cultural contribution. But who are these immigrants and refugees? How do they live, preserve their identities and relate to local societies? How do you see your present reality and your future? Have your dreams of peace been fulfilled? Do you want to go back to the land where you were born? How do you perceive the current political storms in occupied Palestine? With scenes filmed in southern Brazil and the Middle East, the documentary “The Brazilian Palestine” reveals the roots, the degree of integration, the sense of belonging of six families reached by prejudices, persecutions and wars. It questions its current condition, and shows how men, women and young people stand in the face of their rights and the ethical and religious values of their traditional culture. They are narratives of the lived, that rescue lost places and stories that are behind. They are shared memories, letters, photographs and memories that re-live the past and how much of it is left in the present.
International Heritage Film Festival
"Heritage is Peace"
