This is a documentary that is finally finished and soon to be screened in Australia and globally. I was interviewed a number of years ago and remain pleased it’ll see the light of see.
The Palestinian story told in the first person:
‘Return To Gaza’ is a personal insight into the Middle East Conflict through the eyes of a Palestinian Australian, born on a refugee camp in Jordan, who wants to return to Gaza with his family.
This 53 minute documentary covers the difficult journey of Fetah Sabawi, a successful Melbourne musician whose dreams of peace takes him from Australia to Gaza through Egypt, Israel & the West Bank.
With his wife, Ola and their two children, Sabawi plans to move to Gaza to head-up a project, funded by UN, to teach music to children. A new life for a rock star going into a war zone.
Sabawi’s amazing journey coincides with the first Palestinian elections since the beginning of Gaza and the West Bank’s occupation and the subsequent election of Hamas. In this film, we discover with our protagonist the Israeli invasion of Gaza and the response from the West.
His journey and fate are punctuated by the dramatic events of the Middle East and the involvement of world’s leaders as we see statements from Palestinian President Abbas, US Vice President Biden and US Secretary of State Clinton.
Including interviews with the former Ambassador to Egypt, Monzer Eldajani, the elected Hamas member Dr Yusuf al-Shrafi, the acclaimed Australian author Antony Loewenstein and Israeli Peace activists, the film provides a revealing insight into the political minefield of the Palestinian — Israeli conflict and it’s effect on their daily lives amongst the huge walls, check-points and constant military presence.
‘Return to Gaza’ is a poignant story of personal discovery, about a determined westerner and musician facing unbearable issues, with the hope of living in peace one day in his ancestral home in Gaza.