Back to All Events

THE PROMISE

  • Gene Siskel Film Center 164 North State Street Chicago, IL, 60601 United States (map)

THE PROMISE

2022, dir. Leonardo Antonio Avezzano
Jordan; 84 min.
In English and Arabic with English subtitles

Alaa Al Juneidi’s father defied the odds as a Palestinian, going from selling milk off the back of his bike to building a dairy empire. After the death of his father, Alaa is lost, caught in a mental vortex, unable to find his identity, unable to escape the promise he made to his father on his deathbed. It is a promise he is unable to share with anyone. But Alaa submits himself to this promise and sets out to climb Mount Everest. This deeply personal film explores the complex emotional bonds between father and son, and takes the audience on Alaa’s journey as he trains and then makes his difficult climb back to the summit of Everest on his unspoken mission.

Following the film will be a Q&A.

Preceded by the short films:

FROM GAZA TO CUBA

2024, dir. Frank Rojazz, 14 min.

A Gazan medical student studying in Cuba struggles to focus while news of his family and friends face the daily onslaught of Israel’s genocidal bombing campaign.

A young man wearing a keffiyeh standing on the coast stares out into the ocean.

KHSARA

2024, dirs. Jameeleh Shelo and Dean Bushala, 15 min.

This short documentary shines a spotlight on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the heroic efforts of the medical workers providing humanitarian aid.

A boy stands on mounds of destroyed concrete, over what used to be a building in Gaza.
Earlier Event: April 13
SHORT FILMS: SOLIDARITY & PROMISE
Later Event: April 16
SHORT FILMS: CHICAGO TO PALESTINE