International documentary film festival
March 30 - April 6, 2025
Kaptol Boutique Cinema, Zagreb

Three Promises

Yousef Srouji

Three Promises

At the start of the 2000s, while the Israeli army is retaliating against the second intifada in the West Bank, Suha films her daily family life and the anguish of her two young children. At every moment of intense danger, she promises God that she will leave if they survive. In 2017, her son Yousef discovers this archive and reconnects with this suppressed past, wondering with his mother what drove her to record their suffering, and why she delayed fleeing. While on the surface there emerges the heartrending portrait of everyday life in times of war, it is the staggering beauty of a mother’s love that is revealed between the lines. Blending the voice of the present with impressive family footage, Yousef completes the story, averting the act of forgetting, both personal and collective.

Palestine, USA, Lebanon 2023, '63

DIRECTOR: Yousef Srouji

SCENARIO: Yousef Srouji, Marielle Olentine, Mahdokht Mahmoudabadi

CAMERA: Suha Khamis, Mashal Kawasmi

MONTAGE: Mahdokht Mahmoudabadi

MUSIC: Ghiya Rushidat

PRODUCERS: Marielle Olentine, Zein Khleif

PRODUCTION: Suha Documentary, LLC

FESTIVALS & AWARDS:

Camden IFF: Best Documentary (2023)
IDFA (2023)
Visions du Réel (2023)
DOC NYC (2023)
True/False FF (2024)
DocPoint (2024)
Big Sky DFF (2024)

Yousef Srouji

Yousef Srouji

Yousef Srouji is a first time documentary filmmaker and longtime storyteller. His work centers around understanding the dynamics of occupation in Palestine, and community resilience in conflict zones. He holds a Master of Development Practice from UC Berkeley and hopes to use his skills to aid and empower marginalized communities in the Middle East. Yousef spent the first part of his childhood in Palestine, then relocated to Qatar with his family in the midst of the Second Intifada. He attended the University of British Columbia, where he earned a BA in Economics. He has been a fellow with the SFFILM Catapult Documentary Fellowship, received production and post-production grants from the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), and has been a fellow with the Gotham Documentary Feature Lab (formerly IFP Documentary Lab.)

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