Don’t Be Long, Little Bird (2025)

Honoring the Past, Reimagining the Future in Don't Be Long, Little Bird

Don't Be Long, Little Bird is a beautifully written and shot short film written and directed by Reem Jubran that takes us on a journey across physical landscapes and through generations. Only 20 minutes long, this adventure drama speaks volumes about homeland, generational tension, and the importance of Palestinian identity.

Modern Disconnection and the Call to Roots

The film opens with Rima and her mother on a road trip. A disagreement begins when Rima shares plans to travel to Ecuador which deeply frustrates her mother. This clash is more than a simple travel dispute; it’s a layered conversation about values, responsibility, homeland, and what it means to remain connected to one’s roots.

The generational disconnect is illustrated through subtle but powerful visuals: the two women sitting silently during a picnic, Rima trying to read while her mother loudly scrolls videos on her phone. These moments reveal a growing emotional gap and the challenges of intergenerational understanding, especially with how and when we use social media and technology. Their silence speaks volumes. When Rima goes for a swim —symbolically seeking clarity — she is transported back in time.

Time Travel and Ancestral Wisdom

Rima resurfaces in Ramallah decades earlier, where she meets her great-grandmother, also named Rima. Her great-grandmother greets her with warmth, offering food, clothing, a sense of place. They talk about the tensions of the time, including the killing of two Palestinians in a nearby village. Despite the heaviness and grief, the conversation between the two women is filled with hope, care, humanity and even humor. This moment connects past and present, and hints at what it means to carry inherited pain while continuing to dream.

The Story of the Little Bird

A powerful moment arrives when Rima’s great-grandmother shares a story about a beautiful little bird flying freely until it is shot down. This allegory holds deep weight within the film and parallels the story of Palestine itself. The bird symbolizes innocence, freedom, and beauty, and its fall is a metaphor for colonial violence, loss, and the ongoing suppression of Palestinian life. The story doesn’t just signify loss it’s a reminder of the spirit and resilience that remain from a people full of beauty and freedom, despite being constantly targeted by violence and colonial occupation.

Cinematography and Symbolism

The cinematography in Don't Be Long, Little Bird carries just as much weight as the dialogue. Wide, open frames and natural lighting ground the film in the land. These choices are more than aesthetic they are intentional. The camera lingers on hills and trees encouraging us to slow down and truly see Palestine as more than just a site of conflict. Symbolizing a return to the grassroots, to the people, and to the land itself. It is a visual invitation to listen: to the stories, to the silence, and to the history embedded in place.

The henna scene stands out in particular: a glow of reds and golds, women gathered together, tradition expressed through celebration.This scene, and others throughout the film, challenge the current urgency and destruction often portrayed in Palestinian narratives by centering everyday beauty, joy, and survival.

The open landscapes also symbolize something deeper: a call to listen to the land, to the stories passed down, and to the wisdom of those who have lived closest to the earth. It reinforces the idea that understanding and justice begin at the roots.

Voluntourism and Global Disconnect

Rima’s desire to travel to Ecuador becomes a subtle critique of the global culture of voluntourism, where young people from the “West” - or privileged diasporas — travel abroad to “help” while often remaining disconnected from their own histories. Rima’s mother’s frustration raises a valid question: why seek to rebuild elsewhere while your own homeland remains in need?

This moment challenges viewers to rethink the structure of these “helping” programs that often overlook the colonial histories and power imbalances they perpetuate. It suggests the importance of reckoning with one’s own history and communities before attempting to fix others. We are invited as viewers to think critically about how humanitarian efforts are structured and what stories they serve. Helping is not always neutral and sometimes, the most powerful help is grounded in listening to your own community and its needs.

A Script Grounded in Reality

Jubran’s script is grounded in real circumstances: immigration, displacement, intergenerational trauma, and broken systems. Yet, the story also allows space for humor, wonder, magic and hope. The writing draws on lived realities without being overwhelmed by them.

When present-day Rima tells her great-grandmother that she will go on to live a life full of beauty, children, and travel — even as the older Rima considers running away to avoid an unwanted marriage. It is a moment of resistance through dreaming. It’s a reminder that speaking hope into the future is itself a powerful act.

A Call to Reflect and Reimagine

One of the film’s most poignant messages is how much the past and present generations can teach each other. Through shared stories, struggles, and dreams, Rima and her great-grandmother offer each other new perspectives. Rima gains insight into her family’s legacy, while the older Rima hears hope and possibility in her descendant’s words. Their bond reminds us that progress doesn’t mean forgetting the past—it means building from it. Listening across generations can foster empathy, understanding, and renewed purpose.

A Gentle but Firm Resistance

Don't Be Long, Little Bird offers a softer, more reflective form of resistance - one rooted in storytelling, love, and memory. It resists the erasure of Palestinian history not through confrontation, but through connection.

The film also reminds us that building futures requires looking back. That to imagine new, just realities, we must know what came before and why. It asks us to consider: What do we owe our ancestors? What stories are we inheriting and passing on?

What’s Next - A Vision Worth Expanding

This short is so rich that it feels like the beginning of a feature-length story. Its themes — womanhood, history, family, tradition, and generational healing — are timely and universal. I would love to see these characters and their relationships explored even further in a longer format. In a world where Palestine continues to face violence and erasure, this film is a meaningful reminder of who and what is at stake - and why the past matters for imagining new futures.

Watch and Share

Don't Be Long, Little Bird is a quiet but urgent reminder of the power of narrative, connection, and land. If you’re looking for a way to support Palestinian filmmakers and storytelling, this is a meaningful place to start. It’s available for free on YouTube. Sometimes, just 20 minutes is enough to shift perspective—and to remind us what is truly at stake.