Intersecting Memory

Shayma’ was six years old when the Second Intifada broke out. More than twenty years later, she opens a box of old videotapes that starts her search for memories. In voice-over she addresses her mother, who says she is blessed with a poor memory. Shayma’, by contrast, still remembers exactly what she wore on her first day of school: her new school uniform with a lace collar and a white bow in her hair. She also remembers spying her birthday cake through a crack in the kitchen door of their house, which had been confiscated by Israeli soldiers.

Shayma' Awawdeh is a Palestinian filmmaker, born in 1994. A graduate of Dar Al-Kalima University in filmmaking, she has directed three short films: 4th Floor (2018), This Home Is Ours (2024), and Intersecting Memory. She has also worked as a Director of Photography and Assistant Camera on several short films, and has led filmmaking workshops for children.