Search Film, Company, People...

THEY ASKED ME TO SUE MY MOTHER

By Farah ABOU KHARROUB

Documentary - Development 2021

Samia, who is the youngest among a family of 15 people, remains stateless as a Palestinian refugee in Lebanon because of unfortunate circumstances she faced even though all of her siblings were granted the Lebanese citizenship.

- Year of production
- 2021
- Genres
- Documentary, Social issues, Animation
- Countries
- LEBANON, GERMANY
- Budget
- 0 - 0.3 M$
- Duration
- 75 mn
- Director(s)
- Farah ABOU KHARROUB
- Cast
- Samia ABOU KHARROUB
- Producer(s)
- Maximillian BECHT (MISTER WOMBAT)
- Synopsis
- Samia was born in Tal Al Zaatar’s refugee camp in Lebanon to a Palestinian family that originated from the Seven Villages in northern Palestine. In 1994 the family was granted Lebanese citizenships since the seven villages are a disputed area between Lebanon and Palestine, and the ancestors of the people who lived there were originally Lebanese. Samia’s father passed away when she was still 17, and by the time the decree was approved to grant the family Lebanese nationalities, the mother wasn’t able to sign the decree because the authorities requested the signature of the father only. Even though the mother brought the death certificate of her husband, Samia's nationality wasn’t granted. Samia was asked from one of the lawyers the family was consulting with to sue her mother for not having witnesses when she gave birth to her in the refugee camp, knowing that in Lebanon women cannot give the Lebanese nationality to their children. Six members of the family were granted the Lebanese citizenship and the other siblings had already immigrated to Germany, Denmark, and Ukraine to seek a better life. Samia felt trapped all by herself in a country that doesn’t grant any rights to stateless people. For 20 years now, Samia has been trying to adapt to her limited rights by finding solutions in which she can ask for citizenship. With all of the feuds and complications around her situation, Samia is not willing to give up on her rights and she leads a life that is full of positivity.