ONE FAMILY IN GAZA
Just months after the 2009 assault on Gaza, filmmaker Jen Marlowe visited Gaza, spending several days with Kamal and Wafaa Awajah, playing with their children, sleeping in the tent they were living in, and filming their story.
Wafaa described the execution of their son, Ibrahim. As she spoke, her children played on the rubble of their destroyed home. Kamal talked about struggling to help his kids heal from trauma.
Marlowe was compelled to tell the Awajah family’s story not only by their tragedy but by the love for their children in Wafaa and Kamal's every word.
Palestinians in Gaza are depicted either as violent terrorists or as helpless victims. The Awajah family challenges both portrayals.
Through one family’s story, the larger tragedy of Gaza is exposed, and the courage and resilience of its people shines through.
2019 update: Ibrahim's Tree
For more on the Awajah family, read the following pieces:
Celebrating Eid in Gaza amidst the rubble of war
By Jen Marlowe
+972mag, July 20, 2015
One Family, Two Doors, Nowhere to Run
By Jen Marlowe
Tomdispatch.com, December 7, 2014
Gaza’s Mental-Health Crisis and the Trauma of Permanent War
By Jen Marlowe
The Nation, July 2, 2015