There was Nothing Here Before
Yvann Yagchi / Switzerland / 2024 / 71 min
A Swiss-Palestinian director visits his childhood friend who has moved to an Israeli colony, to make a film about their relationship that transcends borders and political differences.
Yvann was born and raised in Geneva in a bubble of security. His mother is from Palestine. His best friend, who is like a brother to him, comes from a Jewish family. Although politics does not figure prominently in their carefree childhood, an awareness of the complexity of the world creeps in between them as they grow up. Eager to find his Jewish roots, Yvann’s friend moves to Israel and settles in an Israeli colony on Palestinian land. No one in Yvann’s family has ever returned to Palestine after their forced exile. Too much pain is associated with the lost land. Motivated by a genuine desire to understand his best friend, Yvann becomes the first in generations to go back. With his camera, he visits his friend and is met with barbed wire, video surveillance, drones and military checkpoints – and realises that his original plan for the film no longer holds. Can friendship exist without intellectual honesty?