Synopsis:

During the 2023-2024 war on Gaza, Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah, a renowned plastic and reconstructive surgeon, has emerged as a resonating voice speaking truth, and challenging the prevailing settler colonial narrative. This film documents his story as a surgeon in one of the worst war zones in the world, and through his story tells the story of Palestine, and of its colonial occupation and dispossession. Leaving Gaza when he was no longer able to perform his life-saving surgeries, Ghassan immediately became a force of change moving from country to country and forum to forum in order to tell the world what he had witnessed and to call on them to intervene. Along the way, it becomes apparent that he has become a hero to all who have seen him or heard him speak. This is a role he never aspired to, he simply wanted to fulfil his duty.

Director’s profile:

Carol Mansour is an independent documentary filmmaker. She founded Forward Film Production in 2000 in Beirut, Lebanon. With over 25 years in documentary production, Mansour achieved international recognition and honour for her films, with over fifty film festival screenings and officials elections worldwide.Her films have been screened at several festivals in Europe and North America, winning numerous prestigious awards including most recently, the Best Short Documentary at Rated SR Festival 2021 inNew York, and the Prix Spécial du Festival at the FIFOG 2021 Festival in Geneva. In 2018, Carol received the Best Documentary Award at the Delhi International Film Festival and in 2017, she received the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the Boston Palestine Film Festival for “Stitching Palestine”, among many other prizes. Carol’s work reflects her concern for human rights and social justice, covering issues such as migrant workers, refugees, environmental issues, mental health, rights of the disabled, war and memory, right to health, and child labor. Carol is Lebanese/ Canadian of Palestinian origin. She studied in Montreal, Canada, and is currently living and working from Beirut, Lebanon.

Producer’s profile:

With a Ph.D. in health policy and planning, and with 30 years’ experience working in the social and health development fields in Lebanon and the Arab region, Muna Khalidi has been working with various international and local organisations providing technical assistance for them to develop strategic plans and to design and develop programs. In 2012 she began working on the research and production of documentary films dealing with issues of social justice and human rights, bringing her experience in the academic, public, private, and NGO sectors into the film and documentary-making field. Working alongside director Carol Mansour, they have produced 11 award winning documentary films and scores of short films. Muna is on the Board of Directors of four national Lebanese NGOs implementing social development, mental health care and hospice care programs within both the Lebanese, as well as the Palestinian and Syrian refugee communities in Lebanon.