Gaza’s Twins, Come Back to Me
Mohammed Sawwaf / Palestine, Qatar & Netherlands / 2025 / International Premiere / 96 min
A woman is separated from her newborn twins during the war in Gaza. A filmmaker follows her for 16 long months as war and chaos rage and her children take their first steps far away.
In the midst of the war in Gaza, Rania gives birth to triplets. One dies, and the surviving twins are evacuated south, separated from their mother, who is trapped in the north. From the bombed streets of northern Gaza to the crowded tents in the south, and from makeshift crisis centers to the destroyed city, documentary filmmaker Mohammed Sawwaf depicts how a family is torn apart by war. Over a period of 16 months, their parallel lives unfold in tents and ruins as they wait and hope to be reunited.
A lot happens in that year and a half. The children grow up in front of the camera, taking their first steps and saying their first words against a backdrop of explosions, moving from tent to tent, clinging to life and longing for their mother’s embrace. Meanwhile, Rania must endure displacement, hunger, and the painful wait for reunion, separated from her children by military checkpoints and war.