How a Palestinian Woman Filmmaker Reclaimed the Narrative of the Nakba
Darin Sallam’s debut feature film deserves applause for rattling an unjust status quo
Even though I’ve lived oceans away from Palestine my whole life, the stories of the Nakba always kept me connected to my roots.
The Nakba occurred in 1948 and was an ethnic cleansing campaign launched by Zionist militias against the indigenous Palestinian population. This violence birthed the state of Israel and forcibly expelled 750,000 Palestinians from their homeland, most of whom still live in refugee camps.
Yet, growing up, the Nakba and its devastating aftermath were only told within the walls of my home — rarely mentioned in history class, covered in the news or represented in cinema.
Censorship of the Palestinian Narrative
Palestinians have long struggled to gain recognition in the mainstream conversation. The media, in particular, plays a major role in keeping the Palestinian narrative out of the public eye.
Criticism of the Israeli government is often met with false accusations of anti-Semitism, which can deal a fatal blow to a news outlet’s credibility and revenue. So, due to political pressure and to avoid controversy, news outlets sacrifice independence and accuracy for a comfortable status quo. They align their coverage with foreign policy and the dominant pro-Israel narrative, ignoring Israel’s blatant and persistent violations of human rights.
However, news outlets are not the only ones complicit in Israel’s ongoing system of apartheid in occupied Palestine. In 2021, Human Rights Watch released a report criticizing Facebook for deliberately restricting, suspending and shadowbanning the accounts of Palestinian activists and journalists.
Human rights think tank Al-Shabaka explains that this pattern of suppression creates a “dangerous discourse,” one that propagates misinformation and normalizes injustice. By cutting out Palestinians from their own stories, the media denies them the ability to represent and express themselves. Widespread media bias and censorship have, in turn, built a massive wall of silence that isolates Palestinians from the rest of the world.
Breaking Down the Wall of Silence
The debut feature film “Farha” by Jordanian director Darin Sallam successfully breaks down the wall of silence, challenging the consistent exclusion of Palestinian voices from public discourse. It is the first film about the Nakba to be shown on a big screen and reach a Western audience. It is a masterful and faithful retelling of the horrific atrocities committed in 1948, which the Israeli government systematically censors. Since its long-awaited Netflix release in December, “Farha” has demonstrated the power of storytelling in affirming Palestinian existence, raising critical awareness and fostering inclusive dialogue.
Based on a true account, “Farha” depicts the Nakba from the lens of Farha, a spirited and determined 14-year-old girl who yearns to move away from her small village and become a schoolteacher. She eventually succeeds in convincing her father to attend school in the city with her best friend. But her dream is crushed when Zionist forces invade the village. To keep her safe from the attacks, her father locks her in a pantry and promises to come back for her. Alone, Farha witnesses the brutality of the Zionist occupation through the cracks of her hiding place.
Set mostly in a dark, claustrophobic setting, the film takes viewers on an uncomfortable but necessary journey of suffocating loss, desperation and helplessness — the very emotions Palestinians felt in 1948.
But before telling the story of the Nakba, the film opens in a picturesque hillside village where the people lead a peaceful and happy life. This opening act visualizes the bittersweet memories of the Palestinian homeland and, in doing so, shatters the popular Zionist myth that Palestine was “a land without a people for a people without a land.”
Sallam takes a moment to share with the world a whole and prosperous Palestine — a Palestine before Israel. The captivating visuals of green valleys, authentic costumes and Levantine architecture show that Palestine was not an empty land but a land with a people, a culture and a thriving society.
As the film progresses, Sallam does not shield her audience from the violent reality of the Nakba, in which a series of Zionist massacres murdered 15,000 Palestinian civilians and destroyed roughly 530 villages. While difficult to watch, Sallam’s discussion of these crimes is essential because it dismantles the common yet false claim that the Palestinians “voluntarily left” their homeland.
In one heart-wrenching scene, Farha witnesses the murder of a Palestinian family. Skillfully crafted, the scene does not overemphasize this crime for shock value and instead focuses on its emotional and psychological toll on Farha.
“I don’t want to talk about war but it’s there as part of her journey,” Sallam told TIME Magazine in an interview. “It’s about her feelings on what she’s witnessing.” The film goes beyond depicting bloodshed and war; it also highlights trauma and survival.
Nonetheless, the most compelling aspect of the film is its unique protagonist. Teenage Farha connects the audience to the Nakba on a personal level. There is something all viewers can relate to in her dreams, ambitions and fears. While the film leaves out the large-scale violence that ravaged historic Palestine, Farha’s individual experience places humanity at the core of this tragic event. Through Farha, the audience sees Palestinians as resilient survivors and fellow human beings, not just as war victims. Sallam puts a human face on a forgotten and constantly denied part of history — and that is what makes “Farha” such a special film.
Social Media Platforms Have a Social Responsibility
Soon after the release of “Farha,” Israeli officials targeted the film and Netflix with a smear campaign. However, Israel’s attempts at censorship failed, and “Farha” remains available to stream on Netflix.
More social media platforms should follow in the footsteps of Netflix. Social media gives the voiceless a way to be heard. With this great power, platforms have an even greater responsibility to create and promote inclusive spaces for conversation; one group alone should not dominate an entire narrative. When platforms like Facebook give into censorship, it solely benefits oppressive forces and enables them to consolidate their grip on information flows and thus manipulate public opinion.
Platforms should therefore amplify Palestinian voices so the wider public can gain a nuanced understanding of what is happening in occupied Palestine. Then and only then will we get closer to the truth and pave the way for justice.
Final Thoughts
As a young Palestinian American, “Farha” was a painful yet hopeful watch. It made me realize the importance of storytelling in the Palestinian movement. It also reminded me of why I decided to pursue a career in journalism in the first place: To make the lived experiences of ordinary Palestinians known to the world.
Storytelling — whether in filmmaking, art or journalism — sheds light on who we are and what we are fighting for. But Palestinian storytelling does more than shed light; it documents and preserves a history Israel has so desperately tried to bury. Sallam’s “Farha” marks a new, monumental shift in the conversation on Palestine and Israel. A conversation that tears down the walls of colonialism to build a just future.
