‘A feeling of catharsis and hope’: Sarah Polley on why she’s paying tribute to Palestinian artists and writers killed in Gaza

Hiba Abu Nada was a beloved figure in Palestinian literary circles. Known for her work chronicling life under Israeli occupation, the poet and writer was best known for her award-winning 2017 novel “Oxygen is not for the dead.”

On Oct. 20, Abu Nada was killed by an Israeli airstrike in her home in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza. She was 32.

“We find ourselves in an indescribable state of bliss amidst the chaos. Amidst the ruins, a new city emerges — a testament to our resilience,” she wrote in the days before her death. “Cries of pain echo through the air, mingling with the blood-stained garments of doctors. Teachers, despite their grievances, embrace their little pupils, while families display unwavering strength in the face of adversity.”

On Sunday, filmmaker and writer Sarah Polley will pay tribute to Abu Nada with a reading of her poetry at the second edition of the Toronto Palestine Film Festival’s event “Gaza Lives: Honouring Palestinian Artists & Writers.” Anishinaabe arts curator Wanda Nanibush and Palestinian-Canadian painter Ibrahim Abusitta will join Polley for an afternoon of readings, music and art.

“Abu Nada’s work is so essentially hopeful and courageous,” Polley told the Star. “There’s something indestructible about her words and her worldview. It is such a privilege to get to read her beautiful last poems. And devastating to know she was killed along with so many others like her, when she had so much more to share.”

Polley — whose most recent film, “Women Talking,” won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay — was also a participant in the film festival’s February edition of “Gaza Lives,” alongside Scarborough novelist Catherine Hernandez, Toronto pianist John Kameel Farah and others.

“It was a stunning tribute,” Polley said about the sold-out event. “While it made the horrific scale of human loss feel closer, more devastating and tangible, it was also healing in some way: the beautiful work that some of these incredible artists created in such dire circumstances. There was a feeling of catharsis and hope in the room. And space for mourning.”

Healing and solidarity

Since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, in which Hamas killed some 1,200 Israelis, the Israeli military has killed more than 32,900 Palestinians in Gaza, including dozens of artists, such as poet Refaat Alareer, painter Heba Zaghout and playwright/actor Inas al Saqa.

The Israeli military’s campaign in Gaza has also destroyed hundreds of cultural and heritage sites, including universities, museums, churches and mosques, leading some critics to accuse Israel of conducting “cultural genocide.”

Dania Majid, a co-founder of TPFF, sees what’s happened in that context.

She was inspired to create an event that would pay tribute to the artists who were killed while providing a space for healing and solidarity among Palestinians and the broader community.

“We heard how much our audience was hurting. Many people from our community were losing family members, some by the dozens. It was the hardest event we’ve ever had to curate,” she said. “Because how do you respond to genocide? We wanted to talk about these artists as people, not as obituaries, but talking about their lives and their aspirations.”

Bridging the gap

In November, painter Ibrahim Abusitta, whose family is from Gaza, received word that the house his grandparents built in 1965 had been destroyed. All his relatives in Gaza, he says, have been affected by the war.

“It’s been a heartbreaking ritual of daily death toll updates,” he said. “Every life taken is agonizing.”

At Sunday’s event, Abusitta will share a tribute to Mohammed Sami Qariqa, a 24-year-old artist who was killed in Gaza City. Abusitta believes that “Gaza Lives” represents an opportunity for non-Palestinians to better understand the “true impact of the lives taken and the lives affected by this war.”

“They become more than the numbers that are portrayed on our screens,” he said. “We honour those who have been taken from us, and we continue to champion those who are still with us.”

Artists and the responsibility to speak out

Since October, speech about the war has been contested and controversial. Some say that scrutiny has cast “a chill” over Palestinian advocacy in this country.

In November, Wanda Nanibush departed from her role as a curator at the Art Gallery of Ontario amid reports that her “vocal opinions” had caused friction among AGO staff and supporters of the institution.

But Nanibush believes that the idea of a “chill” is a “false narrative.”

“There is censorship, but the support (for the Palestinian cause) is greater than ever,” she said. “We participate in these events to show Palestinians here and elsewhere that they are not alone.”

Abusitta hopes that his participation — and the participation of non-Palestinian artists — in “Gaza Lives” will inspire others to “shake off any fears of backlash.”

“There is a duty as artists to convey these truths that we hold; it definitely takes integrity and courage to do so.”

Polley said she was struck by the hope in the room. “As devastating as it was, there was also a sense of the incredible resilience of this community and the deep creativity and artistry that human beings are capable of.”