ilb 2023 | Against Distorted Realities

Two friends live in Tel Aviv in the same apartment building: the journalist Ariel is of Jewish background, the cameraman Alaa of Palestinian background. One day, all the Palestinians suddenly disappear from the country. What Ariel is left with is a notebook with the life story of Alaa’s grandmother. In The Book of Disappearance, Ibtisam Azem creates a magical-realistic setting where Palestinians struggle to maintain their memories and life experiences against Israel’s erasure.