Annie Sakkab’s Palestinian short documentary THE POEM WE SANG is set to premiere regionally at Cairo’s illustrious Opera House as part of the Short Film Competition of the 45th Cairo International Film Festival, which is set to kick off on November 13th until the 22nd. 

A Palestinian director ruminates on the generational trauma caused by the loss of a family home and forced migration, transforming lifelong regrets into a healing journey of creative catharsis and bearing witness.

In this collaborative Canadian-Palestinian-Jordanian documentary short, Sakkab utilizes a verse by Palestinian poet and educator Khalil Al-Sakakini that her father and uncle used to sing to her during her childhood to narrate the story of her lost homeland, highlighting the pioneering role played by the Palestinians before the Nakba.

Previously, the documentary held its world premiere at the Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival in Canada, before embarking worldwide to over ten international film festivals. It has since screened at the Vancouver Short, Norwegian Short, Toronto Arab, and Doc Edge film festivals, among others. 

THE POEM WE SANG has also garnered several prestigious awards, such as the Special Jury Award at the Herceg Novi Film Festival in Montenegro and Best Experimental Short Film at the Nazra Palestinian Short Film Festival.

The film was produced and co-written by Annie Sakkab and Paul Lee in collaboration with B707 Productions. Sakkab also directed, lensed, edited, and narrated the film, while Celina and Hanna Sakkab starred in it. Meanwhile, MAD Distribution handles the film’s sales and distribution in MENA while the National Film Board of Canada handles its distribution in Canada.

A Palestinian-Jordanian-Canadian, Annie Sakkab is an independent filmmaker and photojournalist. She seeks long-form narrative films with a focus on women’s issues, identity, and social justice. 

Her first short documentary HOLLIE’S DRESS — which went to 48 festivals and won 15 awards — held its world premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in 2020 and was created in collaboration with The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 

Her photographic work has been published in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, New York Times, Globe and Mail, Walrus Magazine, Washington Post, Bloomberg News, NBC News, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Annie is also a member of the Boreal Collective and Women Photograph and is represented by Middle East Images.