Port of Memory

Once a thriving Palestinian port city, Jaffa has now become an extension of Tel Aviv. It often served as the backdrop for action films set in the Middle East, without showing any actual Palestinians. Aljafari offers a subtle portrait and memoir of a disappearing city that has been changed forever by incessant construction, gentrification and dispossession of its inhabitants.
It quietly traces the streets of Jaffa and follows the rhythms of life of the city and its people, centered around mundane rituals and occurrences that instil a sense of normalcy. We find a cat napping lazily on the TV, an elderly parent being taken care of, a family watching TV and hands being washed repetitively. Against this seemingly still décor, the filmmaker’s family are at risk of eviction if they cannot prove their ownership of their house.

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