Hiam Abbass: Between nostalgia and the search for identity

Hiam Abbass: Between nostalgia and the search for identity

Celle, Deutschland - hiam Abbass, the talented actress and director with Palestinian roots, causes a sensation again. Her latest documentary "Bye bye Tibériadiada", which was staged by her daughter Lina Soualem, was recently shown at the Festival International du Film de Marrakech. The film illuminates the eventful history of Abbass and her family, which were sold in 1948 during the Nakba from Tibériade and found refuge in Deir Hanna. The audience rewarded the projection with loud applause such as "Vive La Palestine", which underlines the continued relevance of the topic. In a special year that is characterized by the escalation in Gaza, the documentary won additional emotional depth after the terrorist group Hamas had started a devastating attack on October 7, 2023.

"Bye bye Tibériade" is not only a documentary, but also a competition participant for the Oscar 2024 in the category of best international film. He is expected to be released in France in spring 2026. Abbass itself, which was born in Nazareth and has lived in Paris since the 1980s, often addresses the challenges and pain of exile in her work and the pursuit of identity. She found her way to art across the stage of the Palestinian National Theater El-Hakawi, whose closure is a bitter turn in her career.

personal background

hiam Abbass has a double cultural identity that shares it with both French actors Zinédine Soualem as well as with her own history, which is shaped by exile and loss. Her mother and grandmother played a formative role in her childhood, in which nostalgia was noticeable for the lost Palestine. The sentimental reference to her grandmother becomes just as clear in the documentation as the binding transfer of Palestinian identity to your two daughters, Lina and Mouna.

In addition, Abbass describes in the current discussion about their work that the transfer of culture and identity is a vital task. She sees it as important to determine an "intermediate-world" feeling that includes the variety of Arabic, European, French and feminist identities. Their connection to the poems of Khalil Gibran, especially with regard to the feeling of being strange in this world, shows the deep emotional wounds that have left the experiences of their ancestors. "I'm a stranger in this world," is a return to the roots that she accompanies in difficult times.

trauma and cultural stress

After the massive attack by Hamas in October 2023, Abbass expressed its deep emotional exhaustion. In an interview, she reports on the trauma of the war and the associated challenges for the Palestinian community. The situation in Gaza makes it particularly difficult to preserve your own attitude and not to break under the emotional load. In this context, her narrative gains urgency because it puts the pain and resilience of the Palestinian women in the foreground.

The film industry has not only established Hiam Abbass in numerous productions as an actress, but also as a director and screenwriter, including "Roter Satin", "Paradise Now" and the success series "Succession". With her recordings in international film productions and membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, she has won an honorable place in the world of cinema. Her work is not just art, but a strong testimony of experiences, hopes and culture of a Palestinian heritage.

The challenges with which Abbass is confronted are reflected both in their life and in their art and show how important it is to lead a dialogue about identity and cultural belonging through creative means. It will be exciting to see how your stories and those of your ancestors will continue to develop and the viewers will move in the coming months.

More about Hiam Abbass and her film "Bye bye Tibériadiada" can be found in the details at France culture , el watan and wikipedia .