The eleventh of May 2021 was a day like any other day. The lockdown continued in Berlin, but this time, the sun was shining brightly, and its warmth filled my small studio home.
An extraordinary feeling of gratitude filled my heart that day. It was the first time I felt feelings of hope and relief so close to me after all these dark times provoked by the frightful pandemic.
COVID19's impact on my life was massive. Aside from the general restrictions that the world faced, my life's pillars fell one after another like domino stones. The Beirut blast was the beginning, and as a Lebanese immigrant, I felt hopeless. I lost the gallery that represents me, while some of my friends and countless others lost their homes. Beirut died in front of the world's eyes.
Two weeks after the explosion in Beirut, another was in the making: my six-year marriage came to an end. I lost our shared home, my husband, his family, and Leipzig, the city I lived in for five years, all in one day! I found myself moving to Berlin and leaving behind a city, a home, and a bundle of memories that changed my life forever.
I am okay! My comfortable new home in Berlin provided me with some much-needed relief. A fresh start in a new city was all that I needed, but what came after shook my grounds again! My four art exhibitions got canceled one after another. I still tried to be positive, but this all ended when my father lost the battle with Corona in December 2020.
After all these unfortunate and seemingly unbearable events, I found the healing process was slow and exhausting, but I persevered and I am proud of myself!
"Alhamdulillah" is an experimental performative film that depicts the human nature of adapting. It is the act of feeling grateful regardless of what happens. The film is documentation of a day when I realized that hope is inevitable.