Al Awda

syno

psis

Al Awda takes the viewer behind the scenes of a high-stakes mission to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Based on a 2018 flotilla mission, the film was made from footage smuggled out of an Israeli prison. As the 22 activists from 15 countries sail across the Mediterranean, their mission is shaped by a past tragedy. In 2010, Israeli commandos killed 10 activists when they stormed the Mavi Marmara ship that was heading towards Gaza. Faced with this asymmetry in power, the activists are guided by non-violence as they prepare to confront the Israeli navy. Through rehearsals and discussions, they navigate spoken and unspoken fears, practice mutual care, and make tactical decisions based on consensus.

Director's

bio

Jason Soo is a human rights defender and an independent filmmaker who also documents civil society events related to human rights. His first narrative work revisits the genesis of the student movement in 1950s Singapore: A short film on The May 13 Generation (2014). His next film, the documentary 1987: Untracing the Conspiracy (2015) presents a repressed episode in Singapore history, when 22 people were accused of participating in an alleged Marxist plot aimed at overthrowing the government.