The Life That Remains

(La Vie Qui Nous Reste)

Director: Dorra Zarrouk  

Logline: A Palestinian family, uprooted from Gaza after the October 7th 2023 war, navigates loss, resilience, and hope as they dream of returning to a homeland shattered by destruction and displacement.

SynopsisThis documentary tells the story of a Palestinian family—parents and eight children—who fled Gaza to Egypt three months after the October 7, 2023, war. Among them is Nadine, a young mother of twin daughters born after years of struggle to conceive. The family faces the loss of their home, belongings, and loved ones left in Gaza, a place they cherished as their small, warm world.

Now displaced in Egypt, they dream of returning to their homeland, but Gaza’s destruction casts doubt on their future, evoking the tragedy of a second Nakba. Carrying the symbolic key to their destroyed home, they grapple with the loss of a place they may never return to. Through emotional reflections and images, the film immortalizes their journey, including Nadine’s secret visit to Jerusalem to give birth to her twin daughters and the family’s departure through the Rafah crossing.