Bye Bye Tiberias

2023 documentary film by Lina Soualem

Bye Bye Tiberias

International release poster

Directed by| Lina Soualem
Written by|

* Lina Soualem
* Nadine Naous
* Gladys Joujou  (collaboration)

Produced by| Jean-Marie Nizan
Starring| Hiam Abbass
Cinematography|

* Lina Soualem
* Frida Marzouk
* Thomas Brémond

Edited by| Gladys Joujou
Music by| Amine Bouhafa

Production
companies

* Beall Productions
* Altitude100 Productions
* Philistine Films
* Arte
* Doha Film Institute
* Arab Fund for Arts and Culture
* CNC
* International Media Support

Distributed by| JHR Films

Release dates

* 3 September 2023 (2023-09-03) (Venice)
* 21 February 2024 (2024-02-21) (France)

Running time

| 82 minutes[1]
Countries|

* France
* Belgium
* Palestine
* Qatar

Languages| French
Arabic

Bye Bye Tiberias (Arabic: باي باي طبريا, romanized: Bāy Bāy Ṭabariyya) is a 2023 documentary film directed by Lina Soualem, written by Soualem and Nadine Naous, in collaboration with Gladys Joujou.[2][3] It follows Hiam Abbass, who leaves her Palestinian village of Deir Hanna in the Lower Galilee, Israel to pursue her dream of becoming an actress, leaving behind her mother, grandmother, and sisters. Abbass returns to her village, with her daughter, Soulaem, to explore her mother's choices, and family influence. It is a co-production between Palestine, Belgium, France and Qatar.

It had its world premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival in the Giornate degli Autori section on 3 September 2023, and is scheduled to be released in France on 21 February 2024.

## Premise

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Hiam Abbass leaves her native Palestinian village of Deir Hanna in the Lower Galilee, Israel, to pursue her dream of becoming an actress, leaving behind her mother, grandmother, and sisters. Abbass returns to her village, with her daughter, Lina Soualem, to explore her mother's choices and family influence.

## Production

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In October 2020, it was announced Lina Soualem would direct a documentary revolving around her mother, Hiam Abbass, with the film receiving grants from Arte, Doha Film Institute and Arab Fund for Arts and Culture.[4][5][6][7]

## Release

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The film had its world premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival in the Giornate degli Autori section on September 3, 2023.[8] It also screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September 2023.[9][10] It screened at the 2023 BFI London Film Festival on 7 October 2023, where it received the Grierson Award for Best Documentary.[11][12][13] In December 2023, Women Make Movies acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.[14]

## Reception

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### Critical reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 14 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.80/10.[15]

### Awards and nominations

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It was selected as the Palestinian entry for the Best International Feature for the 96th Academy Awards,[16] but did not make the short list. It has been nominated for Best Documentary at the 39th Independent Spirit Awards.[17]

At the 2024 DOXA Documentary Film Festival, it was the winner of the international DOXA Feature Documentary Award.[18]

## References

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1. ^ "Bye Bye Tiberias". Giornate degli Autori. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
2. ^ Wissot, Lauren (September 11, 2023). ""Forgetfulness is Fought with Words": Lina Soualem on Her TIFF-Premiering Doc, Bye Bye Tiberias | Filmmaker Magazine".
3. ^ Saito, Stephen (September 15, 2023). "Interview: Hiam Abbass & Lina Soualem on "Bye Bye Tiberias"". The Moveable Fest.
4. ^ Aftab, Kaleem (23 October 2020). "It's a Family Affair as Lina Soualem Presents Docs About Hiam Abbas and Zinedine Soualem at El Gouna". Variety. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
5. ^ Akerman, Iain (13 November 2020). "Family affairs: Lina Soualem's success story". Arab News. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
6. ^ "Bye Bye Tiberias". Doha Film Institute. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
7. ^ "Bye Bye Tiberias". Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
8. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (27 July 2023). "Venice's Giornate Degli Autori Unveils 20th Edition Line-Up; Featuring Surprise Short From Céline Sciamma & Jean-Marc Vallée Tribute". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
9. ^ "Bye Bye Tiberias". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
10. ^ Morfoot, Addie (26 July 2023). "Docs About Louis C.K., Paul Simon and a Whole Foods Dishwasher Who Moonlights as a Mountain Climber Are Among Those Going to Toronto This Year". Variety. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
11. ^ "Award winners announced at 67th BFI London Film Festival". BFI. 15 October 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
12. ^ "Bye Bye Tiberias". BFI London Film Festival. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
13. ^ Ntim, Zac (31 August 2023). "BFI London Film Festival Full Lineup: 'The Book Of Clarence' World Premiere; Scorsese, Miyazaki, Lanthimos & Fincher Among Headline Galas". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
14. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (8 December 2023). "Palestinian Oscar Entry 'Bye Bye Tiberias' Secures U.S. Distribution With Women Make Movies". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
15. ^ "Bye Bye Tiberias". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
16. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (2023-12-08). "Palestinian Oscar Entry 'Bye Bye Tiberias' Secures U.S. Distribution With Women Make Movies". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
17. ^ "2024 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominees Led by American Fiction, May December and Past Lives | Festivals & Awards | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
18. ^ Janet Smith, "Red Fever, Bye Bye Tiberias, and La Laguna del Soldado amid award winners at DOXA Documentary Film Festival". Stir, May 11, 2024.

## External links

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* Bye Bye Tiberias at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Palestinian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

* Divine Intervention (2003)
* The Olive Harvest (2004)
* Paradise Now (2005)
* Salt of this Sea (2008)
* When I Saw You (2012)
* Omar (2013)
* Eyes of a Thief (2014)
* The Wanted 18 (2015)
* The Idol (2016)
* Wajib (2017)
* Ghost Hunting (2018)
* It Must Be Heaven (2019)
* Gaza mon amour (2020)
* The Stranger (2021)
* Mediterranean Fever (2022)
* Bye Bye Tiberias (2023)
* From Ground Zero (2024)

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