Walid Said – 2023 Short Film Script Finalist
My Little Olive
Fatima, a young girl obsessed with collecting olives, does whatever she can to protect her little jar of olives as she, her sister, and father struggle to escape the onset of a war.
My Little Olive was born out of wanting to make a film for my grandmothers inspired by true events during the Nakba. My maternal grandmother, after being expelled from her home, fell into a ditch and couldn’t climb out. Her father came back for her, and they both ended up spending the night in the hole until it was safe for them to escape and continue their journey to Lebanon. My paternal grandmother was the eldest of 11. At the onset of the war, she was responsible for caring for her brothers as well as reloading the rifles for the men going out to combat.
I decided to create a fictional retelling of these two stories from the perspective of two young sisters. I didn’t want to focus on the violence of conflict and the obvious tragedy of war. The core focus of the film is to see one young sister struggle to comprehend how her life has been upended, and the other how she was forced to grow up at such a young age. The film isn’t about loss of life or land (though very true and tragic). It is about the loss of childhood innocence. Ultimately I want to make this film as a little tribute to both of my grandmothers.