Dialogue: Director Colette Ghunim and Guests will be present for post-film Q&A at the Saturday, April 11, 7:00 p.m. presentation. Encore added: Tuesday, April 28, 6:00 p.m.

In her award-winning debut feature film TRACES OF HOME, filmmaker Colette Ghunim embarks on journeys with her parents to find the ancestral houses they were forced to flee as children in Mexico and Palestine. Colette’s initial desire to heal her disconnect from her cultures and her parents reveals an internal quest to discover home within herself.

Sold Out: Saturday, April 11, 7:00 p.m.

Dialogue: Director Colette Ghunim and Guests will be present for post-film Q&A.

Preceded by:

SEEDS & ROOTS
2025, dir. Woround Younis Alqassas, 6 min, Palestine, In Arabic with English subtitles 
Here in Gaza, where gunpowder is mixed with soil, Seba kneels to cleanse the soil from the ashes of war, watering it with her small cup – trying to revive memories buried in the seeds.

A limited first-come, first-served waitlist line will open at the box office one hour before the event. Any available tickets will be released to the waitlist when the event begins. Waitlist does not guarantee entry, limit one spot per person present. No email or phone reservations–must reserve in person. Read our full waitlist policy here.

Encore: Tuesday, April 28, 6:00 p.m.

Preceded by:

DON'T BE LONG, LITTLE BIRD
2025, dir. Reem Jubran, 23 min, USA, Palestine, In Arabic and English with English subtitles
A young woman with a rebellious spirit accidentally travels through time to 1930s Palestine and spends a few days with a similarly spirited young woman…her great-grandmother when she was her age.

Chicago Palestine Film Festival | April 11–25, 2026

Founded in 2001, the Chicago Palestine Film Festival (CPFF), a program of the Middle East Charitable and Cultural Society Inc., a non-profit organization, is an annual cultural event that serves as a vibrant platform for showcasing the rich and diverse narratives of Palestinian cinema. Film synopses provided by CPFF. Learn more at palestinefilmfest.com.

The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu