Fida Qishta is an award-winning filmmaker Her full-length documentary, Where Should the Birds Fly?, has won film festival prizes and been translated into Spanish, French, Hebrew, Arabic and Portuguese. It is the story of Israel’s years-long siege of Gaza and its 2008-2009 attack, told through the eyes of Mona Samouni, 10 years old, and the filmmaker.
Fida was born and raised in Rafah in Gaza, where she founded The Life Makers Centre/Rafah, an educational center for children. The Centre provides a safe place for children, all of whom have been affected by war, to play, learn, and get needed counseling,
Fida has worked with international human rights observers, documenting daily life under military occupation. Her commentary has been published in The International Herald Tribune/New York Times; video reports have been published in The Guardian and The Observer.