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If Birds Believed in God

"Beauty in the Struggle"

The story follows a day in the life of Ismail, a Palestinian photographer whose American upbringing was shaped by his grandfather’s displacement during the 1948 Palestine Nakba. When Ismail’s mother gifts him his grandfather’s keffiyeh—a traditional Palestinian scarf—it triggers an internal struggle between shame and pride in his cultural identity, all unfolding against the ominous backdrop of rising violence against Palestinians.

Top Cast

  • Adam Budron

    Adam Budron

    Ismail

  • Nasser Faris

    Nasser Faris

    Muhammad

  • Veracity Butcher

    Veracity Butcher

    Leila

  • Jade Ziane

    Jade Ziane

    Khalid

  • Leyla Modirzadeh

    Leyla Modirzadeh

    Farha

  • Eyas Elkhateeb

    Eyas Elkhateeb

    Young Boy

  • Ron Fallica

    Ron Fallica

    Interviewer

  • Martin Pfefferkorn

    Martin Pfefferkorn

    Man on Street

Overview

The story follows a day in the life of Ismail, a Palestinian photographer whose American upbringing was shaped by his grandfather’s displacement during the 1948 Palestine Nakba. When Ismail’s mother gifts him his grandfather’s keffiyeh—a traditional Palestinian scarf—it triggers an internal struggle between shame and pride in his cultural identity, all unfolding against the ominous backdrop of rising violence against Palestinians.

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