ABOUT THE FILM

KHSARA

KHSARA is a documentary short that shines a spotlight on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the heroic efforts of the medical workers providing humanitarian aid. Produced by Red Branch Productions, partnering with MedGlobal, the documentary captures the crisis and relief efforts in Gaza via raw, poignant, and powerful moments through the eyes of MedGlobal’s medical teams. Khsara brings the horrors and realities of medical humanitarian work into the public eye, leveraging authentic, in-the-moment footage captured by those who experience it firsthand.

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KHSARA

Watch KHSARA for a glimpse into the soul-wrenching realities of medical humanitarian work via authentic, on-the-ground footage captured by those who experience it firsthand.

Screenings/where to watch

Friday August 2nd, 2024 6:30pm Northwestern University Simpson Querrey Auditorium 

ABOUT THE DOCTORS
DR. Tammy Abughnaim

Tammy Abughnaim is a board certified emergency medicine physician in Illinois. Her work focuses on caring for patients in low-resource settings, ultrasound training for emergency physicians, and integrating social justice into emergency departments.
Dr. John Kahler, MD, FAAP

Red Cross Disaster Services Hero Award Winner, Regional Director MedGlobal – Latin America Dr. Kahler is a general pediatrician who was Chief Medical Officer for a municipal Federally Qualified Health Center in Joliet, Il until his retirement in January 2017. 
Dr. Thaer Ahmad
Dr. Thaer Ahmad is a board-certified emergency medicine physician with a medical degree from Rush in 2014 and specialty training completed at St. John Hospital in Detroit in 2017. He currently serves as an attending physician at Advocate Christ Medical Center and holds roles as the Assistant Program Director for the Emergency Medicine Residency Program and the Global Health Director for the emergency department at Advocate Christ.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

Dean Bushala

Dean Bushala is a multi-award winning Producer, Director and Cinematographer. He has traveled the world filming for Disney+, National Geographic, MTV, PBS, HGTV Discovery and History Channels and more. His work has earned him nominations and wins around the globe including Emmys, Telly’s, MoMA, Communicator, and Michael Moore Award.

Dean is known within the industry for creating entertaining and inspiring pieces as well as implementing new technologies and developing the skills of his crew. Dean believes each project is an opportunity for all to achieve their personal best, using his wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise to benefit the next generation of creators, editors and storytellers.

Dean’s documentary films and commercial work have taken him to some of the world’s most remote locations, from several hundred miles out onto the frozen arctic sea, to floating down the Amazon on a man-made raft, to 60 feet underwater filming sharks off the coastal reef of Belize. When Dean isn’t working in television he works with many international NGOs in some of the world’s worst natural disasters with Doctors Without Borders, MedGlobal, WorldVision and Save the Children.

About Red Branch

Jameeleh Shelo

Jameeleh Shelo is a native Chicagoan and proud Southsider. She is an Emmy award-winning writer, producer, and performer. She attended Columbia College (Chicago) where she earned a B.A. in Television Writing and Production.

Jameeleh is very lucky to have interned and worked for some very interesting people in her career. She interned at Late Night with Conan O’Brien and worked for Stephen Colbert, Lisa Lampanelli and Cedric the Entertainer. In addition to that, she has produced for TBS, Comedy Central, HGTV and DIY Network, Harpo, TLC.

Jameeleh is the former Executive Director of the Chicago Palestine Film Festival and author of “Laith the Lion Goes to Palestine”, and “Sayf’s Eid Adventure”. She is also the CEO and founder of Decentralized Casting LLC (DeCast ™). She believes that all people have a right to share their narrative in any media they see fit.

Visit Laith the Lion

Filmmaking Process

Red Branch Productions approaches every project with the singular goal of telling the most compelling and authentic story. Whether arming subjects with their own cameras to capture uncensored moments or working with new technologies to reach previously inaccessible places, the focus is always on furthering the story and tapping into the audience’s emotions. This approach has resulted in acclaimed projects for industry giants like Disney+, National Geographic, History Channel, Discovery Channel, MTV, and PBS.

Red Branch Productions brings stories to life in a unique, real, and deeply personal way. Whether installing wire cams to offer viewers a unique perspective, designing custom camera housings to explore animal habitats, or equipping subjects with personal cameras to empower them to tell their stories in their own voices, the goal is always authenticity.

For “Khsara,” we’ve equipped doctors with compact cameras, allowing them to document their experiences—their thoughts, connections, and tears—while performing critical life-saving work in conflict zones. This immersive approach gives the film an authentic voice, capturing raw, unfiltered moments that might otherwise remain unseen. “Khsara” shows the world through the eyes of those who dare to make a difference.

 

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Credits

DOCTORS TAMMY ABUGHNAIM, THAER AHMAD, YASSER SAID
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS DEAN BUSHALA, JAMEELEH SHELO
PRODUCER YASSER SAID
LINE PRODUCER AMY MURPHY
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY DEAN BUSHALA
STILL PHOTOGRAPHY MOTAZ AZAIZA, ABDEL KAREEM HANA
EDITOR DEAN BUSHALA
MUSIC COMPOSED CRAIG J. SNIDER
PRODUCTION MANAGER KYLE KINZIE
GRAPHICS MATTHEW FELONI, VINCENT WASSELUK
A RED BRANCH PRODUCTIONS FILM

Khsara Press

Press Kit (coming soon)
IMDB
Dr. Ahmad’s Interview (coming soon)
Dr. Kahler’s Interview (coming soon)

ABOUT

MedGlobal is a humanitarian charitable non-governmental organization that provides emergency response and health programs to build resilience among vulnerable communities around the world.

Our health programs support victims of wars and disasters, refugees, internally displaced persons, and marginalized communities in disaster-affected and low-resource settings.

MedGlobal was launched in 2017 by a diverse group of doctors, nurses, global health specialists, and humanitarians to address the health needs of the most vulnerable populations. MedGlobal partners with local communities to address their health priorities, builds resilience through training and education and deploys healthcare volunteers, and donates medical equipment, medications and supplies.
MedGlobal field teams support local health programs for vulnerable populations in North and Latin America, Africa, MENA region, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Our growing field teams and partner organizations are supported by selfless volunteer nurses, and medical professionals of all specialties from 27 countries who embrace our mission.

DONATE TO MEDGLOBAL