“Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk”: Filmmaker Chronicles loss and Resilience in Gaza
the new documentary, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and walk, offers a harrowing and deeply personal portrait of life in Gaza through the eyes of Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, and the profound connection she forged with Iranian filmmaker Sepideh Farsi. Based on a year of regular video calls, the film tragically transformed into a memorial after Hassouna and most of her family were killed in an Israeli airstrike just days after the documentary was accepted to the Cannes Film Festival.
The film began as a project to document Hassouna’s daily life, her aspirations, and her artistic vision. Farsi recalls the courage it took for Hassouna to simply exist in Gaza. “In the street, you put your soul on your hands and walk.”
Farsi described their conversations as precious, knowing each one could be their last. “Each of our conversations could be the last one, so every time we connect, I can see her face, and I can see her face, it feels like a miracle.” The film captures hassouna’s daily struggles, including the pervasive hunger and lack of basic necessities. “Have you lost weight as of the food?” Farsi asks in one poignant excerpt. Hassouna responds with a laugh, acknowledging the hardship: “Yes, of course. Now, I – you see, my mind is very messy, and I have no focus because I have no healthy food or good food even.” she confesses her simple desires: “Now, that’s my biggest dream, to have one chicken and one chocolate.”
The joy Hassouna experienced upon learning of the film’s acceptance into cannes was palpable. “Do you know Cannes?” Farsi asked.”Yes, yes,” Hassouna replied, beaming. “What? Fabulous. I’m coming.” Farsi had begun the visa process, hoping to bring Hassouna to the festival, but that hope was brutally extinguished.
On April 16th, the day after the announcement, Hassouna, her two sisters Walaa and Alaa (who was five months pregnant), three brothers – Muhanned, Mohammad, and Yazan (ages 20, 15, and 10) – and her father, Raed, were all killed in an Israeli airstrike on their home in Northern Gaza. Farsi learned of the tragedy the following day.
Farsi initially resisted altering the film, wanting to preserve it as a testament to Hassouna’s life. However, she ultimately decided to end the film with their final conversation, documenting the moment Hassouna learned about the Cannes selection. She believes the attack was targeted, stating, “It was documented by forensic architecture. It was a targeted attack. I do not understand how Israeli government and army are eliminating journalists and photographers just for doing their jobs.” She noted that over 300 journalists have been killed, including more than 30 women. Even after a brief ceasefire, she reported that the family home was bombed again, further erasing evidence of the attack.
Despite the immense loss,Farsi emphasizes Hassouna’s enduring spirit. “Her light is still there.” She describes Hassouna as a resilient and hopeful individual, even quoting her referencing The shawshank redemption – a testament to her intellectual curiosity despite her confined existence. Farsi shared that Hassouna’s family had become her family, and she mourns the loss of the children she had come to know.
Hassouna’s work continues to gain recognition posthumously. Exhibitions of her photography are being held worldwide, and a book of her photographs, Les Yeux de Gaza (Eyes of Gaza), has been published in France, with efforts underway to release it in the United states.She is also set to receive an honorary PhD from the University of Las Palmas. A man even carried her photograph to the Vatican, demonstrating the global impact of her work.
Put Your soul on Your Hand and Walk is currently playing at IFC Centre in new York City and was recently screened at Doc NYC at Village East on Thursday, November 16th. The film serves as a powerful tribute to Fatima Hassouna and a stark reminder of the human cost of conflict.
