ABOUT THE PROJECT
LOGLINE
Devastated by the war in Gaza, a Palestinian mother and her two surviving children seek medical treatment in America, leaving behind their family in Gaza and Egypt. In their grief and despair, they find unexpected hope in the support of a Palestinian-American family in Texas and a chance to rebuild their lives.
SYNOPSIS
THE NIGHT BEFORE THE TRUCE delves into the harrowing experiences of a Palestinian family, caught in the ongoing war in Gaza and its devastating aftereffects. The story begins on November 24, 2023, the night before a truce between Hamas and Israel, when two Israeli airstrikes hit their shelter, killing three of their children. Six months later, the mother and her two surviving children, leaving behind her husband and the childrens’ father in Egypt.
The film captures the family’s arrival in Texas, where they have come to receive medical treatment for the youngest son, whose leg was injured in the bombing. They are welcomed into the home of a Palestinian American family. As the son’s treatment progresses and he begins to regain mobility in his leg, we see relationships between the two families blossom.
The narrative moves between past and present, juxtaposing the family’s life in Gaza and their new reality in America. Through raw conversations and mundane moments, the film reveals the depths of the family’s grief, resilience, and hope. The family are constantly pulled between two realities: their life in Gaza which has now been reduced to rubble, contrasted with days in America filled with trips to the mall and outings with new friends in the local Muslim community.
As the family adjusts to life in America, they make the decision to apply for asylum, knowing that it means it could be years before they see their family in Gaza again. Amidst an increasingly hostile political climate in America, the family must brave uncharted waters as they try and start anew.
PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature
DIRECTOR Yumna Patel
PRODUCER Akram Al-Waara, Ossama Bawardi
co-producer Zaid Assi
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ID: 693