Ibtisam Mara'ana
Directing
Biography
Ibtisam Mara'ana-Menuhin is a Palestinian-Israeli filmmaker, educator, and former politician.
Known For

"Write Down, I am an Arab" tells the story of Mahmoud Darwish, the Palestinian national poet and one of the most influential writers of the Arab world. His writing shaped Palestinian identity and helped galvanize generations of Palestinians to their cause. Born in the Galilee, Darwish's family fled during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and returned a few years later to a ruined homeland. These early experiences would provide the foundation for a writing career that would come to define an entire nation.
Write Down, I Am an Arab

Angelina-Duah Fares, a Druze woman, attempts to enter the Israeli fashion world, but traditions clash with her efforts to choose her way in life.
Lady Kul El-Arab

A picturesque fishermen village overlooking the Mediterranean, Paradise is a Palestinian enclave inside the state of Israel, with a history that ecoes stories of a massacre and deportation. When the director investigates the secret past of her village Paradise, she uncovers more than she expected. Before she knows it, she is warned by her mother: "don't be like Sou'ad" - referring to the sad story about a rebellious "bad girl" whose story became a myth in the village. Accused and imprisoned as a PLO activist back in the 70's, Sou'ad is more than just a role model for the young director. But when she deepening her research, her trouble really begins. A filmic-diary about recreating a lost history, and about re-defining modern womanhood within the traditional village life.
Paradise Lost

The director's mother's last wish was to be buried as a Muslim in Omer, her Jewish hometown, where she lived for 20 years. During the process of separation from the mother, the film reveals the family intimacy, secrets, and dilemmas, raises serious questions about women's identity, nationality, and the meaning of home.
In Her Footsteps
This is the personal journey of the director who leaves her Arab-Muslim village and moves to Tel Aviv. While searching for an apartment, she encounters discrimination by most landlords because of her Arab origins. She finally finds an apartment, and meets her neighbor – Jonathan, a Jewish-Canadian man who immigrated to Israel. A love story ensues.