129 mins
Stephano Savona
Documentary
2018 - Italy

Samouni Road is an insightful documentary that beautifully captures the humanity of a family before and after the 2009 attack on Gaza. In the rural outskirts of Gaza City, a small community of farmers, the Samouni family is preparing to celebrate a wedding. It will be the first celebration since the bombardment of their neighbourhood when Amal, Fuad, their brothers and cousins lost 29 family members including their parents, their houses and their olive trees. As the neighborhood is being rebuilt, and trees and fields are replanted, they face their most difficult task: piecing together their own memory. Through these young survivors' recollections, and superb scratchboard animation, Samouni Road conveys a deep, multifaceted portrait of a family before, during and after the heinous event that changed their lives forever. Rather focusing on the horrors inflicted on this family, the film instead intimately captures their resilience and aspirations for a better future.

Toronto Premiere

Co-presenters:
Beit Zatoun
Amnesty International Canada