Mama's Fatteh
Director: Alia Carita Tompkins
United States, 2023, 5 min
Shooting Format:Super 8
Festival Year:2024
Category:Documentary Short
Genres:Middle East, Family, Culture, Food, Cooking
Crew:Producer: Nasma Kublawi. Composer: Clarissa Bitar
Email:aliacaritafilm@gmail.com
Web:aliacarita.com/
Synopsis
A daughter, oceans away from her Palestinian mother, craves a slice of home. Guided by her mother's voice & the grandmothers and aunties that came before her, she recreates her family's eggplant 'fatteh' in her own Brooklyn kitchen. A celebration of diaspora culture, recipes with the power to connect, and the intimate memories that only food carries.
About the director
ALIA CARITA TOMPKINS is a filmmaker & photographer currently based between Brooklyn, NY and Germany. She earned her BFA in Film & Television Production at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Alia currently works as a script coordinator on an unannounced series, and recently participated in the 2023 Kino Guarimba Film Residency in Southern Italy for directing. Alia and her writing partner, NASMA KUBLAWI, also just completed a narrative short film titled ORANGE BLOSSOM, starring Salma Malhas & Hanna Shykind.
Filmmaker's note
Producer's Statement by Nasma Kublawi:
"Mama's Fatteh is about connection — with food, family, and spaces that I miss dearly. It is a way to draw near to my heritage, to a homeland that I cannot access.
There is a distinct warmth to the Palestinian people, a radiance that will never dim. Mama's Fatteh is a reminder to nurture the humanity of Palestinians: rooted in mighty olive trees withstanding centuries, the oud's melody, threads of tatreez, and our grandparents' tales of resilience.
It's a reminder to find hope in unity, to make your teta's makloubeh, make your mama's fatteh. Feed your friends. Tell our stories. Keep our community alive, on the ground & off."