NOT JUST YOUR PICTURE

In the summer of 2014, Ibrahim, his wife and their five children are killed when their building is hit by an Israeli missile during an attack on Gaza. Ibrahim also had two children from a previous marriage: Layla (24) and Ramsis (26), who were born and raised in Germany. Layla and Ramsis’ grief at the death of their father and stepfamily sets them on a journey of political awakening. Layla travels to Palestine, hoping to learn about her roots and meet her family in Gaza. Ramsis tours Europe, telling his family’s story while pursuing a legal case against the State of Israel through the German courts. Their family in Gaza in the meantime is trying to come to terms with the aftermath of the tragedy; their Uncle Saleh wishes to meet his brother’s children, whom he has never seen as adults. Moving between Gaza and Germany in the past and present, we follow the family’s urge to reunite. Part of a new generation of children of Palestinian refugees and migrants, Layla and Ramsis are forced to redefine their personal and political identity. In their struggle to overcome their grief and bring justice to their family, they become an important voice in reshaping the current political discourse in Europe on migration and the Middle East.