Every day, my heart breaks for the Palestinian citizens of Gaza. It doesn’t seem Israeli’s ridiculous occupation of it will ever end. The despair, fear, and disillusionment wear on, but there is still resilience, and it came in the form of 24-year-old photojournalist Fatma Hassona, who along with six members of her family, were sadly killed in an air raid strike on April 16, just one day after Iranian filmmaker Sepidah Farsi’s incredible document Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, which offers a first-hand account of Hassona’s life in Gaza through a series of video calls between her and Farsi, was announced as an entry in the Cannes Film Festival.
Buy Put Your Soul on Your Hand and WalkDespite the fact they never meet in person, both Hassona and Farsi have deep conversations about how life during Israeli’s invasion has trapped Hassona’s generation with an endless of barrage of hunger, war, and tragedy. But even after all of that, Hassona still had hopes and a sense of optimism during her unfortunately brief life. Watching it made me tear up and even more angry than I already had been. I realized that both an ordinary and an extraordinary life was taken away, and that her dreams will never materialize, as well as those of her friends, family, and everyone else around her.
Like I said before in previous reviews, documentaries have the power to educate and infuriate in equal measures. They dare to expose the truth about the messed-up world we truly live in. They capture life and society warped by power, greed, damage, misplaced hate, and conflict. Put Your Soul… definitely does just that even in the most limited of resources.
It is also a prime example of how much talent that women have behind the camera, meaning they can capture stories of the resistance just as good as the men. You obviously get that this film is by a truly talented filmmaker who showcased a precious, unsung heroine whose voice still matters and whose light will never go out, even after death.
Kino’s special features include How I Decided to Make Films (2023), directed by Farsi; Q&A with Farsi, moderated by Florence Almozini (at Film at Lincoln Center and NYFF); and theatrical trailer.
