Netflix's ‘Farha’ is a window to Palestine’s truth
The international film and television streaming platform Netflix is facing violent Israeli reactions for showing the Jordanian film Farha, which describes the ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Palestinians in the year 1948 (during the Palestinian Nakba). This has been done to make the world aware of the reality of what took place 74 years ago. Every Palestinian who was a part of the Nakba generation can relate to the story of Farha – a story told from the perspective of a young girl who is a living witness to the crimes of the Israeli Zionists.
The movie represents every Palestinian and restores Palestine in the memory of the world – although the tragedy is still going on, and its features are still present, as the Palestinian refugees are still living in exile. The historical film has revealed the fear rooted in the depths of every Israeli, and that its narrative is extremely dangerous for the Zionists because it shows that the Israeli regime, as it is now, is nothing but a settler colonial project based upon the ethnic cleansing of the indigenous population.
The presentation of this film changes the prevailing pattern that has for decades dominated international stations and the Western media, which are biased towards the Israeli narrative in the majority of cases, and which always show Israel as a victim, and try to bury historical facts. Netflix, a global platform, succeeded in delivering the historical truth to its viewers all over the world.
Perhaps the response to these actions is not due to the facts, nor because of the one who tells them, but the real surprise is the one who presents them to the world. Criticisms and threats are routine whenever someone dares to claim a small testamentary space in historical records. Netflix, an American company, has been braver than the United States political system, making a film like Farha an embarrassing transgression of the image of the US' pro-Israel democracy.
The Israelis are calling for a boycott of the film, as a result of the fear they have had for decades of being exposed in front of the Western audience, whose screens have always been saturated with films that serve the Israeli colonial project. Netflix, in this instance, broke prejudice in the face of anti-Palestinian media coverage.
Finally, the director of the film, Darin J Sallam – who is being subjected to a campaign of defamation, and is facing attempts to drop the film that was nominated for the Academy Awards in 2023 – must be praised.
I recommend all readers to watch Farha, which is a mirror that reflects a small part of the Palestinian truth.
HE Yousef SY Ramadan is the ambassador of Palestine to Bangladesh.