Ping Pong, by Palestinian writer and director Saleh Saadi, competed in the development category of this year’s Cairo Film Connection and won the I-Sound Award worth $20,000 for sound services, the Cinetech Award worth $5,000 for post-production services, and the $1,500 Special Touch prize. Variety spoke to the film’s producer, May Jabareen of Philistine Films.
What is the story of this movie and some of the key themes?
“Ping Pong” tells the story of Issam, who lives in 48 occupied territories and grapples with personal loss as the Gaza war breaks out nearby. He finds unexpected refuge in a nightly table tennis game at his neighbor’s house. These games become important sanctuaries to explore how we preserve our humanity and find moments of joy and human connection amid overwhelming sadness and chaos. This is a movie about a quiet and powerful act of survival.
Sound is an important part of this project’s storytelling. Can you explain what approach will be taken?
In this film, sound is the protagonist, an emotional force, and built on radical realism. Fighter planes, drones, and distant explosions haunt the characters, shattering fleeting moments of innocence and joy. The project also explores the rhythm of grief and its constant back and forth movement, primarily through sound. We plan to create a realistic and accurate soundscape to immerse the audience, ensuring that the tension and sadness experienced in occupied Palestine while atrocities unfold miles away will never be forgotten.
What is the current stage of the project?
The first draft is complete and I am currently working on the second draft. We received an award from Masna3 (a new initiative from Tunis by Mehdi Humiri and Mufidah Fedilla) that combines cash and in-kind consulting, and last month we participated in the Doha Film Institute’s Producers Lab.
What are the benefits of joining Cairo Film Connection?
Although we will not be able to physically attend Cairo Film Connection as we were unable to obtain a visa, we hope that this project will become more widely known and introduced to potential partners and collaborators. We look forward to receiving constructive feedback from experts, especially our judges. It will be very beneficial to your project, especially at this stage.
What other projects do you have in the works?
As an associate producer, I worked with director Annemarie Jacir and producer Ossama Bawardi for several years on the historical feature film Palestine 36. The film had its gala presentation premiere in Toronto earlier this year and is Palestine’s official selection for the Academy Award for Best International Film.
The film begins in 1936, when the British Empire tightened its grip on Palestine and an Arab revolt broke out under the pressure of British rule. Amid an anti-colonial uprising and Jewish refugees fleeing persecution from Europe, all forces come together at a decisive moment for the entire region.
I was also the Palestinian co-producer of Marjoline Boustra’s House of Hope, which premiered at IDFA this week and was nominated for the Best Dutch Film Award. This is an intimate observational film about Manar, a Palestinian woman who runs a pacifist Steiner school with her husband Milad in the occupied West Bank.
They seek to provide safe haven for young children amidst escalating violence, stress, and anxiety.
In addition to developing the feature film Ping Pong, a drama series set in Palestine, two feature-length documentaries directed by Palestinians, and an animated series are also in development.
