DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

This film comes from a personal grief:

That I once denied my Arab and Palestinian heritage
in order to feel safe in America.

As a child, I learned early that visibility was dangerous.

After witnessing violence against my brother
and experiencing racism at school,
I split myself in two—
one version for belonging,
another kept hidden at home.

Over time, that survival became erasure.

I carry regret for that separation—
especially from my mother
and her Palestinian identity,
which I distanced myself from in order to assimilate.

In the shadow of what is unfolding in Palestine and Gaza,
that denial has become impossible to ignore.

This film is an attempt to return—
to memory,
to family,
and to the truth I was taught to betray.