Where Should the Birds Fly by woman film-maker Fida Qishta.

In honor of International Women’s Day and all of the women who strengthen, protect, defend and maintain our families, communities and movements for justice and liberation – join us for a Bay Area exclusive screening of Where Should the Birds Fly by woman film-maker Fida Qishta – an account of her and Monda Samouni’s experience in Gaza during the attacks and the on-going struggle of the people of Gaza to survive and find freedom.

The screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker, Fida Qishta, and local activists confronting violence in their communities.

Sponsors: Arab Resource and Organizing Center, International Jewish Anti-zionist Network, Middle East Children’s Alliance, Global Women’s Strike, Arab Cultural and Community Center, Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas (AMED) Initiative at San Francisco State University, Bay Area Women in Black, Break the Silence Media and Art Project, Eastside Arts Alliance, Freedom Archives, US Palestinian Community Network.

About the filmmaker:
Fida Qishta is a Palestinian camerawoman, editor and filmmaker. Since 2006, she has worked as a journalist, producing news stories and documentaries in the Gaza Strip. Her articles have appeared in the U.K. Observer and Guardian newspapers and The International Herald Tribune. She is a qualified teacher and in 2004 found the Life Makers Center in Rafah, Gaza, teaching English and drama to traumatized children.

“When I started to film in Gaza, it wasn’t a film. In my mind it was news. But when I came to the US with all these materials, I thought this is my history. Nearly five years of work filming that I couldn’t leave behind. Mona’s stories made me think a lot. I couldn’t leave Mona’s story in a drawer. It was a reflection of all the work I did in Gaza with the Lifemakers Center, helping children. Being a woman, it was difficult to film in Gaza. I would go to events where all the men were filming and the women would stand behind holding the microphone, or come to say a few words. I wanted to be part of the whole thing, not standing behind.” Fida Qishta