« Return to Haifa »
a dramatization of Ghassan Kanafani’s novella
The Zionist attack on Palestinian cities, towns and villages, Safiyya and Said, a young Palestinian couple, are forced to leave their city, Haifa. The eviction is so brutal that they are not able to go back and get their infant son, still at home.
Twenty years later, right after the 1967 war, when Israel allows the expelled Palestinians to visit their former homes, Said and Safiyya return to Haifa to discover that their home is still intact.
Miriam, an Israeli of Polish origin is living there, along with her son Dov.
Dov is none other than Said and Safiyya’s son, Khaldun, whom they were forced to leave behind in 1948.
GHASSAN KANAFANI (1936-1972)
Ghassan Kanafani, Palestinian journalist, novelist and short story writer, was born in Acre, in the north of Palestine, on April 9, 1936. He and his family shared the fate of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were expelled from Palestine in 1948 as a result of the establishment of Israel.
In 1960, Ghassan settled in Beirut where he lived and worked. On July 8, 1972, he and his young niece, Lamees, were killed by Israeli agents in a car bomb explosion in Beirut.
By the time of his untimely death, Ghassan had published eighteen books and written hundreds of articles on culture, politics, and the Palestinian people’s struggle. His artistic talent also included visual art. Ghassan was always creative, and it gave him peace of mind to work on his paintings, illustrations and sculptures.
His literary works have been re-published in several editions in Arabic and translated to nineteen languages and published in more than twenty different countries.
Although Ghassan’s literary works were an expression of the Palestinian people and their cause, his literary talent gave his works a universal appeal.
« Return to Haifa »
Adaptation, Direction & Set Design Lina Abyad Assistant Director Amahl Khouri Costume Designer Claire Mishref Lighting Designer Alaa Minawi Print & poster design Dima Tannir Photography Dalia Khamissy Executive Producer Ghina Sibaii Producer Ghassan Kanafani Cultural Foundation
Actors - in alphabetical order - Sameera Al Asir Sandy Chamooun Ghannam Saber Ghannam Hani Al Hindi Aliya Khalidi Azzam Mostafa Hussein Nakhal Raeda Taha
Date: 11th June to 16th June 2013 at 8:30 in the evening Extra Matinee performances 15th Saturday and 16th Sunday at 5:00 pm Place: Babel Theatre - Center Marignian, Cairo Street - Hamra, Beirut Tickets will be sold at the theatre from 11:00 am Tickets: 30,000 L.L. 20,000 L.L. and 15,000 L.L. For reservations and information: 76/ 64 32 95 – 01/ 744033
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