While millions of birds migrate freely in the skies, a Palestinian refugee in Lebanon, yearns for the ancestral homeland she is denied. She challenges Sarah, the Director, to find an ancient mulberry tree that stands as witness to her family’s existence — with only inherited memories, a blind man and a two-headed dragon as her guides. Along the way, Sarah meets with ornithologists whose observations on the homing instincts of the birds highlight the unresolved problems of the region.

Spanning fifteen years, this story of a friendship that stays connected across a divided land and a fragmented people adopts a birds’ eye perspective to reflect on freedom of movement, exile and the hope of return.

“Fadia’s Tree is a very beautiful film: You emerge into the light with your understanding intensified, feeling perhaps a little altered. It both tells a personal story and presents a political narrative by delicate metaphor, never harangues, is elegantly paced, and very timely.” – James Woodall, journalist and writer

“I felt compelled to create a brand new judging criteria for this film because it showed me something so extraordinary about a subject matter I thought I knew quite well.” – Maythem Ridha, award-winning filmmaker and festival juror