Join AAWW for a screening of Bye Bye Tiberias followed by a conversation with filmmakers Maryam Mir and Munir Atalla!

In her early twenties, Hiam Abbass 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. 

Set between past and present, Bye Bye Tiberias pieces together images of today, family footage from the nineties 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

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Lina Soualem, a French-Palestinian-Algerian filmmaker and actress, was born and is based in Paris. After completing her studies in History and Political Science at La Sorbonne University, she worked as a programmer for the International Human Rights Film Festival in Buenos Aires. Soualem’s debut feature documentary, “Their Algeria,” premiered at the Visions du Réel International Film Festival in 2020. It won the First Film Award at the CINEMED Montpellier International Festival of Mediterranean Film, the Best Arab Documentary Award at the El Gouna Film Festival, and the Best Documentary Award at the Cinemania Film Festival in 2021, along with a dozen other accolades. Lina Soualem has also acted in three feature films, directed by Hafsia Herzi, Hiam Abbass, and Rayhana. She is currently engaged in writing for fiction, documentaries, and TV series.

Maryam Mir is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker. As a Kashmiri-Canadian born in Germany, raised in Bahrain, with Kenyan ancestry, Maryam finds inspiration in (im)migrant stories of warmth, joy and gentleness. She is an Open City Fellow at AAWW ’19, a UCP Thousand Miles Project Workshop Participant ’22, a NYFA Awardee ’22, and a Gotham Marcie Bloom Fellow ’23. Her latest short, “Sweet Refuge”, was acquired by AMC+, has screened at 20+ festivals and won several awards, including a DGA Jury Award. She is currently in post-production for her thesis short film set in Bahrain, with support from the Doha Film Institute. She holds an MFA degree from NYU Tisch’s Graduate Film Program, where she was an Ang Lee Scholar and concentrated in writing and directing.

Munir Atalla is the Head of Production & Acquisitions at Watermelon Pictures. He previously worked at Netflix where he oversaw creative writing strategy for growing and emerging markets. Informed by his background as an investigative reporter, Munir has produced projects for A24, Peacock, and NBC News. His work for PBS Frontline was nominated for a DuPont Award for Journalistic Excellence in 2020. He teaches filmmaking courses at Columbia University and Hofstra University, and his work has played at numerous festivals including The Aspen Shorts Fest, The New Yorker Screening Room, and BlackStar Film Festival. Watch an introductory video to Watermelon Pictures here.

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COMMUNITY CARE & ACCESSIBILITY

At AAWW, the safety and comfort of our community is our top priority. We invite you to practice intentionality and care in your behavior and language when engaging with our programs and with each other. Violence of any kind, including but not limited to racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, ageism, class or casteism, bigotry or bias toward religion or faith, or any action or assault against marginalized identities, is not tolerated. Those who bring harm to our community in person or online are not welcome, and will be asked to exit the space.

We are located on the 6th floor of 112 W 27th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues), there is an elevator that will take you directly to our office. To protect our friends with chemical sensitivities, AAWW is a fragrance-free space. Masks are required for audience members for all AAWW events; if you forget yours, one will be provided for you. We have three commercial grade air purifiers, and a quiet room in the back should you need some space from the crowd. We highly encourage all in person guests to take a COVID test at home prior to the event. Please reach out to msaleh@aaww.org for additional accessibility requests, including ADA accessible bathrooms, chairs with added back support, and beyond. This space is for YOU!

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