Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk (M)

In 2024, acclaimed Iranian director Sepideh Farsi tried to enter Gaza to document the living conditions amidst Israel's war on Palestine. Unable to secure a passage to the city via Cairo, a Palestinian refugee in Cairo introduced Farsi to Fatma Hosanna, a young photojournalist and poet, who spent her days documenting the conditions in which Palestinians are forced to exist.

Told through a series of video calls between Fatma and Sepideh, Hosanna paints an urgent visual diary of life in Gaza. Under the constant barrage of Israeli missile fire, Fatma embodies the resilience, strength and hope of her people.

On 16 April 2025, the day after it was announced the film was to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, an Israeli missile killed Hassona and her family in what was alleged to have been a targeted assassination. Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk is both a celebration of an inspirational life and an urgent first-hand account of the invasion of Palestine.

Cast: Fatma Hassona, Sepideh Farsi

Director: Sepideh Farsi

★★★★ "Fatima Houssana may never have been able to leave Gaza, but thanks to this film, her face and voice will echo far and wide around the world. People will know her name, her work, her strength, and her unforgettable smile." FLICK FEAST

★★★★ "When [Fatma Hassona appears on the phone], the talk is of bombs, snipers, recently killed neighbours and relations. But also the stuff of life: coffee, her choice of hijab, poetry, optimism. Again and again, her grin fills the screen." FINANCIAL TIMES

★★★★ "It’s the audacious austerity of Farsi’s film-making that really makes the material sing." GUARDIAN