By OLIVER STRICHERZ
This year, MSPIFF44 [The 44th Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Film Festival] showed a strong initiative to represent the stories of people from all parts of the world. More than 60 countries worldwide had at least one film in the festival, mostly in languages other than English. From documentaries to samurai films, there’s an international film for everyone. The Film Society’s deep appreciation for showing international stories through film shows up in many other parts of the year as well, through other specialty festivals such as the Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, Italian Film Festival, Cine Latino, Black Europe Film Festival, and more, all in collaboration with local Twin Cities cultural centers and international voices.
An incredible example of an international film shown at this year’s film festival is Palestinian-American director Cherien Dabis’ narrative feature film, All That’s Left Of You, which is said to be shown later this year at the annual Arab Film Festival. Spanning 40 years, All That’s Left Of You expertly shows the multi-generational resilience of a Palestinian family against the violence and displacement from their homeland. The film includes incredibly powerful and emotional performances from the entire cast, most notably from director Cherien Dabis, who plays Hanan, a mother trying to navigate the difficulties of raising children through a constant state of indignation and impending violence in the occupied West Bank. As the war in Gaza enters its 19th month, this film couldn’t be any more relevant, and gives a deeply moving glimpse into the inhospitable conditions that Palestinian civilians have endured, and continue to endure today.
Editor’s Note:
This film review by Oliver Stricherz first appeared in The Southerner, South High School’s newspaper, as part of a longer piece titled: In early April, film takes center stage—The Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Film Festival through the eyes of a teen. We are pleased to have permission to feature Oliver’s reviews. If you can’t wait to see more, visit The Southerner at https://www.shsoutherner.net/.
Oliver Stricherz, a senior this year, is a staff writer for South High School’s The Southerner. He is “driven, angered and interested” in human rights and dynamics, hoping to explore human stories.
