Paradise Lost

A picturesque fishermen’s village overlooking the Mediterranean, Fureidis is one of the few Palestinian villages remaining on Israel’s coastline after the war in 1948. When the director sets out to investigate the secrets of her village, she is warned to be careful, lest her fate be that of Suaad – the mythical “bad girl” who broke the village’s political norms, became a PLO activist, served a long prison sentence, and after her release, left the country. The film follows the director to the UK, where she finds Mrs. Suaad George, a Doctor of Law, who despite her self-fulfillment is still haunted by her village and her past. The encounter with Suaad causes the director to wonder whether in spite of their generational gap, their destiny is one –outside of Paradise. This is a story about recreating a lost history and about defining modern womanhood within the traditional Arab village.

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Awarded “Best Début Documentary” at the 2003 DocAviv International Documentary Film Festival, Paradise Lost is Ibtisam Mara’ana’s first film as a director.