{
  "id": 15011950,
  "title": "How a chance encounter with a sheep inspired a film about Palestinian displacement",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/how-a-chance-encounter-with-a-sheep-inspired-a-film-about-palestinian",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-16T18:01:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film-tv/2026/10/16/concrete-land-asmahan-bkerat-palestine-gaza-london-film-festival/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Asmahan Bkerat's journey with the film Concrete Land began with a chance encounter with a Palestinian Bedouin family. The inspiration struck when she met Badrya, a woolly black sheep, and her owner Hakima on the outskirts of Amman. Their initial meeting led to a 2017 short film featuring Badrya, which eventually blossomed into a feature-length documentary. Bkerat spent eight years capturing over 400 hours of footage, during which she experienced a range of emotions from frustration to deep connection with her subjects. The film delves into the displacement faced by the Afro-Palestinian family, as they grapple with the threat of losing their land due to proposed construction. The narrative is further complicated by the actions of a neighbor who has filed an eviction order, arguing that the tented settlement causes pollution. The timing of the film's release coincides with the tragic events of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent devastation in Gaza, highlighting the broader political implications of displacement and colonization. Bkerat's powerful film serves as a poignant reminder of the human cost of such displacement, and the lasting impact it has on generations to come.",
  "summary": "Sometimes the best documentaries start out on a whim. When Asmahan Bkerat met the Palestinian Bedouin family at the heart of her debut Concrete Land , she had no idea that eight years later she’d be presenting their story to the world. We’re sitting in Sea Containers hotel, right by the Thames, the day after the UK premiere at the London Film Festival . Just a few seats away are two of her…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "How a chance encounter with a sheep inspired a film about Palestinian displacement",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/how-a-chance-encounter-with-a-sheep-inspired-a-film-about-palestinian-15015001",
        "published": "2026-10-16T18:01:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}