The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

 The depiction of the unbreakable bond of love shared between a ten-year old boy and his giraffe, is the running theme in Rani Massalha’s debut feature film. It offers a new angle on the subject of war and a sense of hope in the moving and the terribly sweet-natured, Giraffada.

Set in the streets of the Israeli-walled off West Bank, Giraffada follows the story of Ziad (Bayatra); a ten-year old boy, and the son of a veterinary doctor Yacine (Bakri), who spends most of his days making friends with a couple of giraffes, Rita and Brownie, at the local Qalqilya Zoo.  

There is absolutely nothing that can keep Ziad away from his friends, which makes his struggling father, who is busy fighting his own battles with the Palestinian government’s corruptive system, perceptibly proud of his son and his devotion to the animals.

However, Ziad’s world is soon shattered when an Israeli rocket attack strikes down on the city, hurting and eventually killing Brownie in the process, leaving his female companion, Rita, all alone.  Devastated over the loss of her mate, Rita refuses to eat, which gives Yacine growing concerns whether she will survive the ordeal.  Extending a hand of solidarity to his best-pal, Ziad makes a promise to God that he too will go on hunger strike until Rita starts eating again. Meanwhile, Yacine begins considering the possibility of bringing in a mate for Rita across the wall from Tel Aviv with the help of an Israeli vet Yohav (Zem) before it’s too late.

The story, told entirely through the eyes of a ten-year-old boy desperate to save the animal he’s grown to love and care for, makes it almost impossible not to fall in love with Giraffada’s undeniably hopeful premise. Sweet, engaging and terribly simple, Massalha manages to strip away prejudice and discrimination from the story any and chooses to centre his focus on the friendship between Ziad and his giraffes, bringing the meaning of courage and hope to a whole other level. 

The suffering and torment that the people of Palestine experience on a day-to-day level also finds time to be portrayed. Even though it could have been told with a bit more impact, Massalha still manages to make sure that their penury and insolvency is not forgotten.  

All of the performances were relatively solid throughout; from Bayatra’s infectious presence as the young and naïve Ziad, to Bakri’s convincing portrayal of a caring and a concerned father, there is very little to grumble about in terms of delivery.

In the end, our love of animals is intrinsically linked to who we are as human beings and Giraffada takes that notion very seriously.  Hopeful, gentle and incredibly moving, Giraffada manages to do the impossible and succeeds, ever so delicately, at breaking down the barriers of hatred and anguish in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian dispute; a conflict that is often filled with images of bloodshed and tears, with  little hope of reconciliation.