Abgesagt | Aida Returns

In the organizer's words:

"Aida Returns" is a poignant and equally sad and painful, humorous and absurd story of a multiple journey: the journey of loss, as the director's mother, Aida, struggled against losing herself to Alzheimer's disease, but found solace in her repeated "returns" to Jaffa and the Palestine of her youth; the journey of losing a parent; and the ultimate return to Jaffa, where Aida finally found peace and could be herself again.Almost four years after Aida's death, Tanya, a friend and colleague of the director who lives in Jerusalem, visited Beirut. When she learned of Aida's wishes and her longing for Jaffa, Tanya suggested that she bring the ashes back herself. The film follows director Carol Mansour as she finds a way to bring her mother back to Jaffa to give her eternal rest and peace. A return that is aided by an unlikely group of friends and strangers who all come together to make what should have been a simple journey possible. This journey is extremely private and personal, while resonating with hundreds of thousands of Alzheimer's sufferers and their families, as well as hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees waiting to return home.The film is a tribute to the director's family's lost past, an attempt to restore a part of individual and collective memory, and a poetic nod to all the Palestinians in exile who are denied return to their hometowns even after death.Carol Mansour is an independent documentary filmmaker. She founded Forward Film Production in 2000 in Beirut, Lebanon. In her over 25 years as a documentary producer, Mansour has achieved international recognition and honors, with over fifty screenings at film festivals and official selections worldwide. Her films have screened at several festivals in Europe and North America and have won numerous prestigious awards. Carol is Lebanese/Canadian with Palestinian roots. She studied in Montreal, Canada, and currently lives and works in Beirut, Lebanon.

Carol Mansour has regretfully withdrawn her participation in the festival.
Further information here.