I Shall Not Hate
Tal Barda / Canada & France / 2024 / World Premiere / 95 min
A Canadian-Palestinian doctor's mission of tolerance and forgiveness is put to the ultimate test when he loses his three daughters. Meet a Nobel-nominated bestselling author from Gaza whose greatest adversary is hate itself.
Canadien-Palestinian doctor Izzeldin Abuelaish is a man with an unusually big heart. ‘I Shall Not Hate’ follows his life’s journey from the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza to the University of Toronto and the Israeli Supreme Court. Abuelaish was the first Palestinian doctor to work in an Israeli maternity ward, but his mission of forgiveness and reconciliation is put to the ultimate test when an Israeli tank bombs his house and kills his three daughters. Against all odds, he turns his tragedy into a global campaign to eradicate hate, delivering his message in English, Arabic and Hebrew. He is quoted by Barack Obama and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. But Dr Abuelaish is still haunted by grief and convinced that to honour his daughters, he must hold the Israeli government accountable for the unprovoked attack that decimated his family. ‘I Shall Not Hate’ is a letter of tolerance from a deeply inspiring man with a message as urgent as ever.