(Variety) Picture Tree International Boards Toronto-Bound ‘Farha,’ Debuts Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)
Berlin-based sales agency Picture Tree International has boarded “Farha,” the debut feature from Jordanian writer-director Darin J. Sallam, which world premieres in the Discovery section of Toronto Film Festival. The company has shared the film’s trailer.
Inspired by true events, the film tells the story of 14-year-old girl Farha in Palestine in 1948, who watches from a locked pantry as catastrophe consumes her home.
Sallam said: “ ‘Farha’ is a story about friendship, aspiration, separation, rite of passage, exile, survival and liberation in the face of loss, all seen through the eyes of a young girl. It is an intimate coming-of-age film that tackles issues of identity and exile.
“During the catastrophic events of Al-Nakba [also known as the Palestinian Catastrophe] in Palestine in 1948, a young Palestinian girl was locked up by her father to protect her life and family honor. She eventually made it to Syria, where she met a girl with whom she shared her story. That girl grew up, started a family, and shared that story with her daughter. And that daughter happened to be me. This young girl’s harsh experience travelled over the years to reach me, now it is time to share it with the world.”