In Development
To Make Things Grow
Feature length creative documentary and more
Deir Amr was a visionary Palestinian farming school built in the 1940s to support children orphaned during the revolt against British occupation. The school’s principal, Abd Al Ghaffer, was my great grandfather. Using the school’s unique archives, official documents and personal memories, the film will trace the institution's enduring presence across the world. To Make Things Grow reveals the reverberations of empire and traces how land, family and community ripple through time into our complex present.
Here is a great article about the orphanage on Jerusalem Story - Deir Amr: A Haven for Palestinian Orphans That Inspired Awe Near and Far until It Was Forcibly Emptied in 1948
Research and development for this project has been supported by Chicken & Egg Films, Palestine Exploration Fund, and Palestine Film Fund.
The project has been selected for Sheffield Doc Fest Meet Market, 2026.
Here are a couple of blogs I’ve written about the process so far:
To Make Things Grow - Reflections on a Research Project
To Make Things Grow: Digitising Archives at CBRL in Amman