Dina Dahmash praying in Dahmash Mosque

Cinematic, immersive and provocative, Lyd In Exile is a feature documentary about the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestine told through the story of the city Lyd. In 1947, Lyd was a bustling gateway that connected Palestine to the world. A year later, when Lyd fell under siege by Zionist soldiers, the city resisted and was forever changed. Hundreds of Palestinians were killed and tens of thousands were displaced. The city, now called Lod, is within Israel’s Green Line and is best known as the epicenter of Israel’s drug trade – plagued by disinvestment, violence, and racism. This film weaves together multiple voices to create a vivid portrait of a splintered community: a displaced Palestinian family yearns for home while trapped in a refugee camp for three generations; in rare archival footage, Zionist soldiers return to the scene of the massacre and expulsion they committed during the founding of the State of Israel; Jewish settlers re-shape Lyd in their own image; and a young educator fights to preserve Palestinian cultural identity among Lyd’s Arab children.

Sarah Friedland- Growing up as a Jewish American, I never learned about the history of the founding of the State of Israel from the Palestinian perspective. This film plays an important role in sharing that history and perspective with audiences around the world. I believe that it is impossible to create an equitable future without an understanding of how this history shapes the present.

Rami and Sarah filming with Eissa, a survivor of the Nakba (1948 war)

Together we are a team with the documentary storytelling, political and personal experience to make this film. Sarah Friedland’s films have been screened at festivals around the world and have been broadcast nationally in the U.S. Rami Younis grew up in Lyd and, as a journalist, activist and producer, has been telling important stories in Palestine for the past ten years.

Controversial and unconventional, this film has not been easy to fund. We have managed to get through production on minimal funding and a lot of blood, sweat and tears. After four amazing and challenging years, we now hope to start post-production. We need to raise $40,000 to edit this film. Although we need more than $40,000 to actually finish this film, this goal will greatly further the film's completion. Editing is the most important part of the documentary process because it is where the story is crafted and finessed. Your investment in this film will help us hire the right editor who will approach this film with storytelling experience, nuance, and creativity.

If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to Lyd In Exile, you can do so through our fiscal sponsor Fractured Atlas.

You can find out more about the film and our process on our website.

We hope that you will join us in making sure that this story gets told. We framed our rewards around the theme of solidarity. Through our exciting rewards, we hope to share more of the powerful work being done for Palestinian human rights by incredible musicians, artists, activists, and chefs.

Making this campaign a success will require lots of small donations and a few big ones. We greatly appreciate any help that you can offer – no amount is too small. Another way to give is to spread the word, please help share this Indiegogo link on your social media or email.  Thank you so much for checking out this project and for considering joining the community around this film.

More Film Clips:

The story of Eissa Fanous

The Story of the Tarteer Family in Balata Refugee Camp

The Story of Dina and Lamia Dahmash