With his second directorial effort, Since You Left, Bakri visits the grave of his mentor, Emil Habibi, a prominent Palestinian author and politician. In this intimate setting, Bakri attempts to summarize for Habibi some of the personal and political transformations that have occurred in Israel and Palestine since the author's death.

The greater part of the narrative is concerned with the two events which shattered Bakri's life in the years after his mentor's passing. The first is his nephew's involvement in an attack on a public bus in the city of Meiron which left 9 Israelis dead, and the subsequent backlash against the entire Bakri family. The second is the uproar caused by Bakri's 2002 documentary film, Jenin Jenin, which was banned in Israel for two years upon its release. Rich in archival footage and personal film clips, Since You Left is a poignant, poetic and deeply personal letter to a departed friend and fellow artist.

Available now: Educational institutions can purchase institutional DVD copies of Since You Left and Mohammad Bakri's 2002 documentary Jenin Jenin together at a discounted rate.

Rental Information
This film is available from AFD for public screenings and television broadcast. For information regarding rental rates and formats, please contact institutions@arabfilm.com for institutional/non-theatrical screenings, or festivals@arabfilm.com for theatrical, festival, television, or other bookings.