The Dream Collector

The Dream Collector / Le Collecteur de rêves
Khaled Jarada, Abod Nasser
2021, Palestine, 3’23’’

Without dialogue, this film tells an ancient story – a wish you can only whisper to seashells before casting them into the ocean. That is how dreams may come true. But in Gaza, where the sea is closed to dreams, the Dream Collector appeared. He gathered seashells bearing wishes and hung them on his bedroom wall, where hidden hopes turned into paintings. The film was made in 2021 during the Digital Storyboarding workshop at the French Cultural Center in Palestine.

Language: none
Recommended for children under 14 years old: Yes
Technique: 2D animation

Team:

Story and illustration: Khaled Jarada

Translation: Jamileh Tawfiq

Animation: Abod Nasser

Second chapter (coming soon): Aml Nakhala

About Khaled Jarada

Born in 1996 in Gaza, Palestine, Khaled Jarada is an independent visual artist and children’s book illustrator. He has illustrated many children’s books, such as Cane Talk and School Uniform with several publishing houses. He worked as an animator, taught art of performance and participated in several local and international exhibitions. He did an artistic residency at the Al Qatan foundation in 2020 where he exhibited his project Metres. The same year he received second prize at the video art festival organized by the French Institute in Palestine for his project Pandemic diaries. In 2021 he was selected for the artistic residency at the Royal Spanish Academy in Rome. In France, he takes up a residency at La Filleuse in Reims in 2022, and also participates in the residency for the Festival Ciné-Palestine in Paris in 2024. In the same year, he took part in the Musée Sahab group show at the Palais de Tokyo, and concurrently held his first solo exhibition, “Non Key Frame”, at the Fann A porter gallery in Dubai. He has been a member of the agency of artists in exile since 2021.

Find more: https://khaledjarada.wordpress.com/

https://www.instagram.com/khaled.jarada/?hl=en

https://aa-e.org/en/artiste/jarada-khaled-2/

About Abod Nasser: 

A visual artist and animation designer born in Gaza in 2000. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology with a specialization in Multimedia from the University College of Applied Sciences (UCAS). He has attended several training courses in the fields of visual arts and animation. He began his artistic career in 2013 and is particularly interested in artistic expression related to social and psychological issues in Gaza. He is distinguished by a unique artistic vision in his approach to visual arts and the world of animation.

His works have been exhibited in numerous international exhibitions, including the Arab World Institute in Paris. He is also an active member of the artistic community affiliated with the French Institute in Gaza. Aboud Nasser received the Best Comic Award for the film The Dream Collector (Le Collecteur des Rêves), created in partnership with Khaled Jaradah. He has also produced several notable animated films.

He contributed to the design of the opening credits for several cinematic works, including Gaza 36 mm, directed by Khalil Al Mozayen, and Gaza Mon Amour, directed by the Nasser brothers. Both films have won multiple international awards, with Gaza Mon Amour nominated for an Oscar as Best Palestinian Film. He also participated in another project with the Nasser brothers, Once Upon a Time in Gaza, which won the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival.