The Life That Remains

(La Vie Qui Nous Reste)

Director: Dorra Zarrouk  

Logline: A Palestinian family, uprooted from Gaza after the war of October 7, 2023, faces loss, resilience, and hope, while dreaming of returning to a homeland shattered by destruction and exile.

Synopsis: This documentary tells the story of a Palestinian family — a couple and their eight children — who fled Gaza to Egypt three months after the war of October 7, 2023. Among them is Nadine, a young mother of twin girls born after years of struggle to have them. The family faces the loss of their home, their belongings, and loved ones left behind in Gaza — a place they cherished as their own warm little world.

Now displaced in Egypt, they dream of returning to their homeland, but the destruction of Gaza casts uncertainty over their future, evoking the tragedy of a second Nakba. Symbolically carrying the key to their destroyed home, they confront the loss of a place they may never see again. Through moving reflections and powerful imagery, the film captures their journey — including Nadine’s secret visit to Jerusalem to give birth to her twins, and the family’s departure through the Rafah crossing.