once there was once there wasn’t
About the Movie
director: Rolla Tahir – رولا طاهر
Toronto (Kuwait, Sudan)
May/June 2020 (1988 - 1991)
3min 20sec
shot on: BMCC, Android phone (camcorder)
edited with: Davinci Resolve
Immigrant families already in a form of isolation keep connected across time zones by experiencing births and birthdays, eids and ramadans at a distance.
once there was once there wasn’t is a snapshot of decades lived in isolation. Births and birthdays, eids and ramadans, marriages and deaths, all celebrated and commiserated in distance.
When approached to make a film about isolation, I immediately thought of my daughter, whose experience growing up will be vastly different than mine due to isolation and alienation, a by-product of immigration and not just the pandemic. I can’t help but commiserate, while equally trying my best to keep her connected with her family scattered across various time zones. This film is a short snippet of how we do that. It’s not the same, but it’ll do for now.” – rolla tahir – رولا طاهر
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