Forced to Land

Bisharat, from Ma’alul near Nazareth, delves into the story of Terez Halasa, born in Akka, occupied Palestine — one of the hijackers of Sabena Flight 571 from Brussels to Tel Aviv via Vienna in 1972.

Bisharat uncovers an unsung heroine, a mirror of herself from another generation. Like her, Halasa is a Christian Communist Palestinian citizen of Israel. While Bisharat pursued cinema at the age of 18, Halasa joined the Palestinian resistance at 17 and was tasked with hijacking a plane to demand the release of Palestinian prisoners. The mission ended in bloodshed—one passenger killed, two hijackers killed, and Halasa imprisoned for 13 years, then deported to Jordan.

Determined to amplify Halasa’s story, Bisharat embarks on creating a film about her. She travels to Jordan to meet Halasa, who grants her blessing to the endeavor. However, Bisharat’s journey takes an unexpected turn when she is offered a role to portray Halasa in an Israeli docudrama about the hijacking. On set, Bisharat grows increasingly disillusioned with the Israeli film industry, where Palestinian characters are reduced to stereotypes and narratives of resistance are distorted.

Halasa, initially supportive, disapproves of the final docudrama and criticizes Bisharat for failing to uphold the Palestinian narrative. Their relationship shifts from heroine and admirer to a complex dialogue between storyteller and protagonist, challenging Bisharat to confront conflicting narratives and her role in shaping them.

FORCED TO LAND is a reflexive, intergenerational exploration of identity, resistance, and the power of storytelling to navigate fractured histories.