Director Omar Shargawi, who is half Danish half Palestinian, has just won two prizes for MY FATHER FROM HAIFA at the recently held Dubai International Film Festival (12-19 December 2010). The film won Muhr Arab Special Jury Prize for documentaries and the audience prize Damas People Choice Award. The festival is one of the biggest existing festivals for Arabic films.
MY FATHER FROMHAIFA is a universal family story about a son seeking understanding and reconciliation with his father who as a child in 1948 fled from Palestine. A story about how one man´s life affects his whole family and how the son seeks back, both mentally and physically, to the place where it all started. A search that brings both grief and love to the viewer, joining Omar (starred by the director himself) on his travel to Damascus (Syria), Haifa (Israel) and into his father´s past.
Director Omar Shargawi says: “The film has a different perspective on the Israel-Palestine conflict, and that is probably what has made it a succes”.
MY FATHER FROMHAIFA has furthermore won a Danish Robert in the category long documentary in 2010. The film is produced by Carsten Holst for Zentropa Productions with support from New Danish Screen.
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