Trailer for Write Down, I Am an Arab.
Palestinian filmmaker Ibtisam Mara’ana Menuhin returns to Hot Docs with her stunning biography of Mahmoud Darwish, considered by many to be the most influential writer in the Arab world. His words were used by the Palestinian nation and the larger Arab community to express their yearning for a shattered homeland. His writing inspired millions, shaped Palestinian identity and helped galvanize generations to their cause. After fleeing northern Galilee as a boy during the violence of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Darwish returned as a young man to a ruined village and certain arrest. One of his first and most important poems, Identity Card, resulted in his imprisonment and turned him into an icon of resistance. Menuhin’s artful use of rich archival footage, interviews and Darwish’s poetry and personal letters animates this heartbreaking and inspiring story of love, loss and hope.