A 7-year-old girl climbs the olive tree in her garden in Baghdad, watching the street from one of its branches. For hours, she observes her neighbors returning home from work, some street vendors, and soldiers laden with weapons marching with a massive tank that can barely navigate the narrow residential street. For three years, she climbs the tree every day to witness the unfolding events of the war, until her family decides to flee to Egypt in search of safety. The girl suffers from PTSD and has lost the memories of her childhood. None the less, she remains curious about what she actually saw from the tree and what happened to her during the war. With the help of her family, she embarks on a journey to uncover her buried memories, all while grappling with the most important question, “What happened to my olive tree?”

Cast

Zuhair
Zuhair Salih
Intissar
Inttissar Hussien
Sarah
Sarah Zuhair
Sama
Sama Zuhair
زيتونتي - Poster 1

What Happened to My Olive Tree?

Sama Zuhair

  • Short film
Production Country / Year
Germany 2024
Language
ar., en. OF mit en. UT
Format
DCP, Color, 22min
Other, Discrete 5.1
Original Title
زيتونتي

Director & Crew

Sama Zuhair 1

Sama Zuhair

Born in 1996 in Baghdad/Iraq. Lives in Germany. Studied Applied Sciences and Art at the German University of Cairo, majoring in Media Design. Worked as an instructor for film production. Studied Documentary Film Directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.

 

Filmography

2019 ISHTAR, Dokumentar-Installation

2024 WHAT HAPPENED TO MY OLIVE TREE?, Dokumentarkurzfilm  HOF 2024

Director of Photography
Fizzy (Phillipp) Rode
Editor
Jonathan Scheid
Sound Designer
Muhammet Can
Music Composer
Demian Martin
Producer
Marc Colditz