‘Wall Piano’ takes us into a daydream of a young girl who lives under the shadow of a separation wall. Part music video, part magic realism, ‘Wall Piano’ shows a wall as something other than an immovable barrier for a group of children living near the Qalandia checkpoint in Ramallah, Palestine, a frontline of the West Bank conflict. The inspiration for this short film came from 12 year-old ‘Nada’, also featured in the film. The short has gone on to screen at over 30 international film festivals, winning 10 awards, including at the prestigious Tampere Film Festival. 

The film arose from a series of workshops with artists Asma Ghanem (Palestine), Christopher Marianetti (USA), Alexia Webster (South Africa) and a group of children living in the long-standing refugee camp. In these workshops, children shared and illustrated their nighttime dreams and daydreams of all kinds, some of which were then brought to life and reimagined into original sound and visual pieces. 

As Asma Ghanem reflects, “I think what is important about the project is that for these kids the whole concept of this powerful wall that is controlling their lives, out of nowhere, it becomes something else. The very definition of the wall passes through their imagination in a different way.”  

Concept: Nada

Directors: Christopher Marianetti, Asma Ghanem & Alexia Webster 

Music & Editing: Christopher Marianetti 

Mixing: Christopher Botta 

Producers: Elena Moon Park & Found Sound Nation