ITMANAH (MAKE A WISH)

Palestine/2006/Arabic dialogue with English subtitles/Colour/35mm/12 mins

In Palestine, Mariam, 11, is determined to celebrate her birthday by buying the cake she wants. The only problem is that her mother could not give her enough money, so she enlists the help of her younger sister and together they try to turn a simple wish into reality. The film depicts the tense situation for Palestinians and the grief that results from growing up under occupation.

CHERIEN DABIS was born in 1976 in Omaha, Nebraska, and grew up in the US and Jordan. She holds an MFA in Film from Columbia University, New York, wrote the award-winning short films Little Black Boot and Memoirs of an Evil Stepmother and is now developing her feature writing and directing debut, Amreeka.

Director, Producer, Scriptwriter & Editor: Cherien Dabis.
Cinematographer: Alison Kelly.
Composer: Kathryn Bostic.
Cast: Mayar Rantisse, Lone Khilleh, Iman Aoun.