'Bye Bye Tiberias' wins human rights film award at Dublin Film Festival

Lina Soualem's documentary film "Bye Bye Tiberias" won the Irish Council for Human Rights award and the best documentary prize at the 22nd Dublin International Film Festival. It tells the story of Soualem's mother, Hiam Abbass, a famous Palestinian actress and film director with Israeli and French citizenship. Years after leaving her native village of Deir Hanna in the Lower Galilee to pursue an acting career in France, she returns home with her daughter.

"In this current moment, as so many of us empathize with the experiences of the men, women, and children living in Gaza and Palestine, we found its message of hope and its beautiful portrayal of Palestine inspiring," said the jury of its choice.

"Bye Bye Tiberias" is described as an "intimate documentary about four generations of women and their shared legacy of separation". It is a co-production between Palestine, Belgium, France and Qatar.

The film premiered last fall at the Venice Film Festival. It was selected as the Palestinian entry for the Best International Feature for the 96th Academy Awards but did not make the shortlist. It was nominated for Best Documentary at the 39th Independent Spirit Awards and won Best Documentary at the London Film Festival.

Hiam Abbass is known for her roles in films such as "The Syrian Bride" (2004), "Paradise Now" (2005), "Free Zone" (2005), "Munich" (2005), "The Visitor" (2007), "Lemon Tree" (2008), "Insyriated" (2017), and "Blade Runner 2049" (2017). She gained prominence for her role as Marcia Roy in the HBO drama series "Succession" (2018–2023).