Specialist UK distributor TAPE has acquired Lina Soualem’s feature documentary Bye Bye Tiberias which it will release in UK and Ireland cinemas on June 28.
Soualem, the daughter of actress Hiam Abbass, explores her Palestinian family history in Bye Bye Tiberias which won the BFI London Film Festival’s Grierson award for best documentary in 2023.
Bye Bye Tiberias was the Palestinian entry for this year’s Academy Awards and is sold internationally by Swiss-French sales agency Lightdox.
The documentary premiered in Venice’s Giornate degli Autori in 2023, followed by its North American premiere in Toronto. It has since had an extensive festival run including DOC NYC, IDFA, RIDM and Palm Springs and is now on release in the US, Canada and France.
TAPE will preview the documentary across the UK as part of the SAFAR Film Festival, which is dedicated to Arab cinema, in June ahead of its release later that month.
TAPE was founded in 2015 by Isra Al Kassi and Angela Moneke, and curates screening events which respond to the lack of representation on screen. TAPE’s previous UK releases include Miryam Charles’ feature debut Cette Maison, Shabu by Shamira Rapahela and If The Streets Were On Fire directed by Alice Russell.
Al Kassi said “As programmers and distributors who often work with mixed-heritage stories, and the idea of returning to home, we are exceptionally blown away by the magical way in which Lina weaves her family’s history in this documentary.”
Bye Bye Tiberias is produced by Jean-Marie Nizan of French company Beall Productions, in coproduction with Altitude 100 Production and Philistine Films, Tala Corp. and Edmond Production, in association with Arte France – La Lucarne.
“Lina Soualem’s incisive and engaging film holds a mirror to our shared humanity, and we are confident that our collaboration with TAPE, a collective dedicated to celebrating important but often marginalized stories, will ensure its reach and resonance with viewers, sparking much needed conversations and leaving a lasting impact,” said Bojana Marić, head of acquisitions at Lightdox.
No comments yet