This is the News

In response of his speech after winning the Berlinale Documentary Award for his film No Other Land, Yuval Abraham, the Israeli filmmaker, received dead threats and hateful messages. Standing beside his Palestinian co-director at the Berlinale film festival over the weekend, Abraham, criticized his government’s treatment of Palestinians, saying: “In two days, we will go back to a land where we are not equal. ... We need to call for a cease-fire.” Earlier, the co-director, Basel Adra, had said that it was “very hard for me to celebrate when there are tens of thousands of my people being slaughtered and massacred,” calling upon Germany to end weapon exports to Israel. Watch for the comments of German politicians on: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/28/yuval-abraham-no-other- (...)

Today the Palestinian Film Festival Australia starts! Check the website - www.palestinianfilmfestival.com.au - for full program details.

From the website: 'The very best of Palestinian cinema from around the globe, the Palestinian Film Festival Australia presents a unique opportunity to connect with and get to know Palestine and Palestinians through film.' For information and tickets: https://palestinianfilmfestival.com.au/

This week - a terrible one for the people in Gaza - you can watch online the documentary 'Gaza Strip' (2002, 74 min.): https://www.palestinefilminstitute.org/en/pfp. (Description of the Palestine Film Institute) A "slice-of-life" documentary set in Gaza City, following the inner and outer lives of a 13-year-old boy, a self-styled revolutionary, as he struggles to find meaning in his life while his friends are killed around him, one by one. “In early 2001 I spent three months in Gaza filming material for this documentary, GAZA STRIP, working with local fixer and translator, Mohammed Mohanna. The second Palestinian uprising against Israeli military occupation had begun in September, 2000, four months before I started filming. Though the period this documentary covers includes the ele (...)

Because of the war in Occupied Palestine the Palestinian Film Festival Australia has been postponed: The PFFA explains: "The continuing crisis in Occupied Palestine is heartbreaking. Our thoughts, prayers and love are with the innocent and vulnerable people caught up in this latest war. This is not the time to hold a film festival. It is time to mourn the dead, pay our respects to those suffering and work together to bring an immediate end to the ongoing atrocities against innocent civilians. It is for these reasons, we have decided to postpone the 2023 Palestinian Film Festival Australia."In an effort to promote an increased understanding of what is happening in Occupied Palestine, the Palestinian Film Festival Australia is making two documentaries, 1948: Creation & Catastrophe a (...)

The Palestinian film Festival can be visited again in various Australian cities from October 13 to 29. See for the rich program: https://palestinianfilmfestival.com.au.

On occasion of Land Day, Chicago Palestine Film Festival offers March 30, 8pm CST, a special online screening of "1948: Creation & Catastrophe", a riveting story told by the people who lived through Al Nakba. Go for updates and a link to: https://www.facebook.com/events/555978849846623

* Foragers by Jumana Mann. 2022. 64 min - Dutch Premiere. Best of Fests. * R 21 aka Restoring Solidarity by Mohanad Yaqubi. 2022. 71 min - World Premiere. Frontlight. * Notes on Displacement by Khaled Jarrar. 2022. 74 min - World Premiere. Envision Competition. * Shireen Abu Akleh The Extrajudicial Killing of a Journalist, by Al-Haq's Forensic Architecture Investigation Unit. 2022 - 10 min. https://www.idfa.nl/en/info/idfa-2022

You can watch now the full version of 'Born in Deir Yassin' ! Go to: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/bornindeiryassin.

After a two year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Houston Palestine Film Festival is back! Friday, July 22 - 7:00 PM | Midtown Arts & Theatre Center Houston (MATCH) Short: From the Mountain (19 min) | Faisal Attrache Well known for crafting extraordinary stories of justice, Faisal Attrache doesn’t disappoint with his latest short film of Sultan al-Atrash, Commander General of the 1925 Great Syrian Revolt, battling to keep the flame of revolution alive while in exile from his beloved Syria. Feature: Farha (92 min) w/ special guest appearance | Darin Sallam Based on true events, Darin J. Sallam’s Farha is a compelling feature film of the Palestinian Nakba viewed through the eyes of a 14 year old girl with an uncompromising determination to survive, as she witnesses the te (...)

Gaza's cinema experience set to return after years-long intermission Nagham Mohanna & Rosie Scammell The National / June 3, 2022 Film lovers have been able to watch only outdoor screenings since the early 2000s. Determined to bring the silver screen to Gaza, filmmakers are transforming a neglected theatre into the Palestinian enclave’s only working cinema. “No cinema exists in Gaza," said filmmaker Abed al-Rahman Hussein. "Not in terms of screenings, nor in terms of the industry either." After years showing films in the rubble of bomb sites and on Gaza’s streets, he and fellow cinephiles believe they have eventually found a permanent home. Dusty footprints mark the wooden floor of the disused theatre, which opened in the late 1990s but was abandoned just a few years later. A (...)

Use this chance to watch this great documentary: '1948 Creation & Catastrophe'!!! Cultural Media made it possible, on behalf of the Palestinian Film Festival Australia, to watch this documentary free for one week (16-23 May 2022). Watch now: https://vimeo.com/548415766.

The Movies that Matter Festival 2022 (from April 8 to 16 in The Hague, Netherlands) will screen three films on the theme of "Israel-Palestine": * Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege by Abdallah Al-Khatib. * Ahed's Knee by Nadav Lapid. * Huda's Salon by Hany Abu-Assad. For more information on content, locations and times, visit: https://moviesthatmatter.nl/festival/programma/#/

Movies-that-Matter will screen next April in the Hague (Netherlands) Hany Abu-Assad's newest fiction movie 'Huda's Salon' in The Hague, Netherlands! More information: https://moviesthatmatter.nl/en/festival/film/hudas-salon/. The movie is nominated for the Dutch Movies Matter Award! Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYIPjr3eHx0

From their website: 'Reel Palestine returns for its 8th edition from January 28th – February 6th, 2022, presented by Bayt and in collaboration with our long-term partner Cinema Akil, the GCC’s only arthouse cinema. The festival will premiere films from Palestine and its diaspora by award-winning international directors and upcoming first-time filmmakers, featuring intimate stories of exile, resistance, and the love that encapsulates the human experience when identifying with separation and restrictions to survive and thrive.' For more information about the film program go to: http://www.reelpalestine.org/2022-films--shorts.html

The Bristol Palestine Film Festival will take place 4-12 December 2021, with a mix of shorts, feature films and documentaries. Look for the programme on: https://bristolpff.org.uk/festival-programme-202. The festival has also - for the first time - a play in its programme: The Shroud Maker, written and directed by Ahmed Masoud.

Queer Cinema for Palestine kicks off next week - November 11-20 - with a 10-day program of online and in person events across 13 cities around the world. The festival will feature Palestinian, Arab and international films, filmmakers and artists, online master classes, panel discussions, drag performances, Indigenous queer solidarity, Jewish queer solidarity, and more. Look for programs, locations and times at: https://queercinemaforpalestine.org/2021/11/01/queer-cinema-for-palestine-program/

Palestine Cinema Days 2021 opens this week with the Oscar-nominated film The Stranger The eighth edition of the annual Palestine Cinema Days will kick off on Wednesday November 4th at the Cultural Palace in Ramallah with a screening of Palestine’s entry to the Oscars 2022, “The Stranger” (Al-Gharib), by filmmaker Ameer Fakher Eldin from the Occupied Syrian Golan Heights, according to a press release. This year, Palestine Cinema Days will screen more than 60 carefully-selected fiction, documentary, and short films, bringing together cinema enthusiasts across the six Palestinian cities of Ramallah, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Gaza, Haifa, and Nazareth. The 8th edition of the film festival will be held from November 3-8 and will showcase Palestinian independent and artistic productions as we (...)

November 19 the London Palestine Film Festival will start, presenting 'a selection of popular new releases and uncovered old gems' along with exclusive presentations and urgent discussions. Look for program etc.: https://www.palestinefilm.org.uk/

An independent committee from the Palestine cinema sector, under the supervision of the Palestinian Ministry of Culture, submitted the film, “The Stranger”, for a nomination at the 94th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Oscars, in 2022, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. “The Stranger” was chosen as the first feature film by the promising director, Ameer Fakher Eldin, from the occupied Syrian Golan. It had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival in September and won the Edipo Re Award for Best Film in the Competing Film Category. The film will also participate in the Cairo International Festival as part of the International Critics Week that kicks off on November 26. “The Stranger” takes place in a small village in the occupied (...)

US-based streaming service Netflix launched a new Palestinian film collection on Thursday, Reuters reported. The collection, titled ‘Palestinian Stories’, consists in 32 films that are “either helmed by Palestinian filmmakers or about Palestinian stories,” Netflix said in a statement released on Tuesday. Here is the full list of the Palestinian films: Salt of this Sea, by Annemarie Jacir The Present, by Farah Nabulsi When I Saw You, by Annemarie Jacir Ghost Hunting, by Raed Andoni Ave Maria, by Basil Khalil Frontiers of Dreams and Fears, by Mai Masri Children of Shatila, by Mai Masri 3000 Nights, by Mai Masri A Man Returned, by Mahdi Fleifel A Drowning Man, by Mahdi Fleifel 3 Logical Exits, by Mahdi Fleifel A World Not Ou (...)

The DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival 2021 will start October 21 by screening online '200 Meters'. Visit for tickets and information about their program: https://www.dcpfaf.org/

The 20th annual Chicago Palestine Film Festival added a free, online screening to this year's festival! Wednesday, October 20, 7 pm, you can enjoy Najwa Najjar's "Between Heaven and Earth," a love story about divorce. Stay tuned for how to access the screening on this page: https://www.palestinefilmfest.com/schedule/between-heaven-and-earth. Look for the complete program: https://www.palestinefilmfest.com/schedule

Documentary on Lea Tsemel, Israeli Lawyer Who Defends Palestinians, Wins Emmy The Israeli documentary film, “Advocate,” which follows noted human rights lawyer Lea Tsemel, who defends Palestinians in Israeli courts, won the award for the Best Documentary on Wednesday at the 42nd Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards. The film, directed by Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaïche and originally produced for Israel’s Hot 8, focuses on the personality of Tsemel, a human rights lawyer who represents Palestinians in Israeli courts. It was an Oscar documentary nominee in 2019. The film was also an Emmy nominee in the Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary category. Full article: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-documentary-on-lea-tsemel-israeli-lawyer-who-defends- (...)

On November 5, 6 and 7 a MIDDLE EAST FILM FESTIVAL will take place in Assen (Netherlands) including these Palestinian films: * 'Gaza Mon Amour' (Nov 7, 11 a.m.) * 'Ave Maria' and 'Ayny' (Nov 7, 13:30) For more information and tickets, go to: https://www.podium-zuidhaege.nl/.../middle-east-film.../

The Chicago Palestine Film Festival start October 15, with NIGHT FILM: 'Mayor' and short 'The Present'. Other movies to be screened: - 'Fedayin: Georges Abdallah's Fight' and 'Rosa' (October 17) - 'It Must Be Heaven' and 'Habib' (CLOSING NIGHT FILM, October, 23) Visit for tickets and information: https://www.palestinefilmfest.com/schedule

The London Palestine Film Festival brings September 21 - 23 a pre-festival: - two sessions to Gaza via documentary and experimental short films - a documentary on Israel’s chilling control of movement between territories. Visit: https://www.palestinefilm.org.uk/ The main festival will take place as usual in November.

‘Palestinian art is a remarkable victory against those trying to erase us’ (Hany Abu Assad) Hollywood director Hany Abu-Assad shares his thoughts on the difficulties of making Palestinian films, who gets to tell stories about the occupation, and why it is a 'miracle' that Palestinian art is thriving. Interview Rami Younis It’s no mean feat for an Arab film director to work in the entertainment capital of the world, let alone make films about Palestine. But Hany Abu-Assad, 59, has done just that. Born in Nazareth and based in the Netherlands, he has under his belt 11 films and has worked with some of Hollywood’s top stars, including Idris Elba, Kate Winslet, and Mickey Rourke. Two of his most famous productions — 2005’s “Paradise Now“ and 2013’s “Omar” — received Oscar nominations (...)

Documentary on Israeli Lawyer Who Defends Palestinians Nominated for Two Emmy Awards ‘Advocate,’ directed by Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaïche, is a candidate in the Best Documentary and Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary categories. The winner will be announced September 28 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-documentary-on-israeli-lawyer-who-defends-palestinians-nominated-for-two-emmy-awards-1.10046477

We are Not Israelis: Palestinian Actors Boycott Cannes Film Festival Actors starring in the new film “Let There Be Morning” have withdrawn their participation from the Cannes Film Festival, in protest of the film being labeled as an Israeli production. The film, which is written and directed by Eran Kolirin, and adapted from the book of the same name by Palestinian writer Sayed Kashua, tells the story of an Israeli Palestinian who comes to discover his identity and national affiliation after finding the village he grew up in. The stars of the film, including prominent Arab and Palestinian actors Alex Bakri, Juna Suleiman, and Salim Dau, signed a letter laying out their objections. “We are proud and stand behind our participation in the film of our friend and ally, Eran Kolirin, which (...)

Join Rabet for the premiere of our new documentary, "One People, Segregated IDs", to learn more about how Israel's apartheid policies, between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, segregate Palestinians based on their ethno-national identity, issuing different types of IDs for Palestinians depending on their location, each with varying freedoms and rights. The event will include a panel dicussion as well as a live stream of the documentary. We are happy to have with us for the discussion: Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director, Human Rights Watch (HRW) Maha Abdallah, International Advocacy Officer at the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) Moderated by Mayss Al Alami, the PIPD When: Thursday, 17 June 2021 Time: 8:30pm Palestine time (...)

The IFFR (June 2-6) offers also online some interesting films: * Kamal Aljafari: 'An Unusual Summer' (https://iffr.com/en/2021/films/an-unusual-summer) A street corner in the Palestinian district of Ramla, in Israel. Neighbours going to work; children playing; mothers doing the shopping; at night, a man running past; a boy throwing a stone. Further away, a garden and a busy road. All this was recorded by the security camera Kamal Aljafari’s father installed in 2006, in the hope of catching the vandal who kept on damaging his car. After his father’s passing, Aljafari finds the footage. He uses it as the raw material for this idiosyncratically edited and manipulated impression with fitting musical accents, a touch of dry humour and succinct interti (...)

Thursday, May 20, 8.00 pm CST, the Chicago Palestine Film Festival will be screening with American Muslims for Palestine the film "My Neighbourhood" on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXARzKNxX_w Filmed nine years ago, this film highlights the forced displacement of families in Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. "My Neighborhood" follows writer, activist, and poet, Mohammed El-Kurd as a young boy, when half of his home was forcibly taken over by Jewish settlers. El-Kurd has been at the center of the current protests in Sheikh Jarrah, representing a voice of Palestinians against occupation and forced expulsion. These displacements have been experienced by Palestinians for generations and are condemned as a violation of international law and are the root cause of Pales (...)

'Voluntary Transfer': Israel Faces Exodus of Palestinian Filmmakers Funding is difficult, courts get in the way, the state censors, co-productions have vanished and the Arab world reacts with suspicion - the impossible reality facing acclaimed Palestinian directors in Israel is forcing them to leave Three months ago, an Israeli district court ruled that contentious documentary film “Jenin, Jenin” may not be shown ever again in the country. A judge ruled that all copies of the film - which suggests Israeli soldiers committed war crimes in Jenin during Operation Defensive Shield - be confiscated, and ordered the director, Mohammed Bakri, to pay 175,000 shekels ($54,000) in damages to a reservist soldier shown in the film, who sued. Essentially, the court was saying that the Palestinian (...)

The Lutfia Rabbani Foundation will host a free screening of the documentary film "The Fifth Story" by Iraqi filmmaker Ahmed Abd and live panel discussion next week, in partnership with the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA). The film is a stunning portrayal of how different generations still carry the burden of war with them. You can watch the film on the 28th and 29th of April at 17:30. The film screening on the 29th will be followed by a panel discussion with the Director Ahmed Abd, Executive Producer Louai Haffar and IDFA Artistic Director Orwa Nyrabia. The audience will have the chance to ask their own questions too, it will be a lively evening! For information on how to join the event look on: https://mailchi.mp/rabbanifoundation/idfa-1695349

Sophie Prideaux in The National / April 11, 2021: Palestinian short film ‘The Present' wins Bafta: 'I dedicate this award to the people of Palestine’ Palestinian-British filmmaker Farah Nabulsi's The Present took home the Bafta on Saturday evening for Best British Short Film. Nabulsi virtually accepted the award at the first installment of a two-part ceremony, the main event for which will take place on Sunday evening, virtually, from London. The film, which is Nabulsi’s directorial debut, tells the story of Yousef, played by Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri, who decides to go with his daughter to buy a gift for his wife on their wedding anniversary. However, the task of shopping for the gift is made almost impossible because of the challenges of life under occupation.

Producers and directors: You can now submit films and projects for IDFA 2021! The 34th edition of the festival takes place November 17 to 28, 2021. Look for more information at: https://www.idfa.nl/en/info/idfa-festival-submissions?utm_source=IDFA+Newsletters&utm_campaign=8fe349c9b1-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_04_06_09_26&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_32b31333b2-8fe349c9b1-70479797

This Friday, the Chicago Palestine Film Festival is hosting the second film for Falasteen Film Fridays: "Brooklyn Inshallah." The film focuses on Arab Americans living in New York City, working to make history by electing the first Arab American to political office through community organizing. Following the film will be a special Q&A with the Director, Ahmed Mansour. This event is free for everyone, so don't miss it. The film will be screened on YouTube this Friday, April 9 at 8:30pm CST. The YouTube link will be shared later this week through email and Facebook. So tune on: https://www.facebook.com/events/1291132664603054/

Chicago Palestine Film Festival presents 3 Palestinian films with Q&A's - for free! Tune in via Facebook Watch Party OR YouTube next Fridays, 8.30 pm CST: - March 26: Naila and the Uprising - April 9: Brooklyn Inshallah - April 23: Amreeka

GREAT NEWS!!! William Parry in Al-Jazeera / March 9, 2021: British-Palestinian director Farah Nabulsi’s short film, set in occupied West Bank, has been shortlisted for the Oscars. Read his entire interview with Nabulsi at: https://palestina-komitee.nl/farah-nabulsi-her-past-in-the-present-and-the-future/ Another interview: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200622-why-are-simple-tasks-made-so-difficult-in-palestine-asks-filmmaker-farah-nabulsi/

Until 25 March, films made by Palestinian women directors can be seen every Thursday and Friday via Facebook! The Al Ard Arab and Palestinian Film and Documentary Festival could not take place last August due to the pandemic and is now offering films and debates about Palestine digitally under the banner: Al Ard Mara - La terra è donna. Or: The earth is (a) woman. Among others these films can be seen: On the Doorstep; Stitching Palestine; Detained Dreams; They want them gone. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/alArdDocFilmFestival

Source: https://variety.com/2020/film/global/cairo-film-festival-hany-abu-assad-hudas-salon-1234847289/ Production has finally completed on “Huda’s Salon,” the new film from double Academy-Award nominated director Hany Abu-Assad (“Paradise Now,” “Omar”). Production was halted twice this year because of regulations brought in to stop the spread of coronavirus. Variety spoke to the Palestinian director from his home in Nazareth after he gave a masterclass via Zoom at the Cairo Film Festival. Written and directed by Abu-Assad, “Huda’s Salon” is based on real-life events telling the story of a woman whose visit to a hair salon turns into a nightmare when its owner blackmails her. Starring Manal Awad, Maisa Abd Elhadi and Ali Suliman, filming took place on location in Nazareth and Bethle (...)

Academy Award nominated Palestinian filmmaker and director Hany Abu Assad, and award-winning Palestinian singer, composer and flute player Nai Barghouti discuss culture and identity through music and film in 'Rabbani Talks': https://rabbanifoundation.org/episodes/

Director Mohammed Bakri ordered to pay $55,000 to reservist appearing in the film, which suggests Israeli soldiers committed war crimes in Jenin during Operation Defensive Shield An Israeli court ruled on Monday that screening or distributing Mohammed Bakri's controversial documentary "Jenin, Jenin" should be banned and that all copies of it should be seized. Lod District Court Judge Halit Silash also ruled that actor and director Bakri must pay 175,000 shekels ($55,000) to a reservist who appears in the film as a participant in the battle in the Jenin refugee camp in 2002. The film suggests Israeli soldiers committed war crimes in Jenin during Operation Defensive Shield. Full article: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israeli-court-bans-2002-documentary-jenin-jenin-fo (...)

The Bristol Palestine Digital Film Festival goes online 4-13 December 2020 and the films are free to watch! For 10 days, 24 short films will be screened to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of this great festival. Many of the films in this programme were released this year and range from drama, documentary and experimental. So visit: https://bristolpff.org.uk/festival-programme-2020!!!

Queer filmmakers drop out of Israeli-government sponsored TLVFest More than a dozen filmmakers have honored a call by Queer Palestinians to withdraw from TLVFest, the Israeli government-partnered LGBT film festival, over its role in the Israeli government’s pinkwashing agenda. Editor’s Note: The following press release was issued on November 11, 2020 by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). Mondoweiss occasionally publishes press releases and statements from organizations in an effort to draw attention to overlooked issues. More than a dozen filmmakers have withdrawn from TLVFest, the Israeli government-partnered LGBT film festival, which runs from November 12-21. Queer Palestinians are calling for a boycott of TLVFest over its role i (...)

The full IDFA Program will be online from Nov 9, but these documentaries are known already: - In Section Frontlight: MISSION: HEBRON by Rona Segal (docu 22 min). See: https://www.idfa.nl/en/film/e5951944-ce64-4b8e-98dd-a5b392d6bfda/mission-hebron - In Section Masters: ZIYARA by Simone Bitton (docu 99 min.) See: https://www.idfa.nl/en/film/b44e21b8-30f8-4e91-a28f-422e11bc3477/ziyara - In Section Best of Fests: MAYOR by David Osit (docu 89 min.) See: https://www.idfa.nl/en/film/a2cc2d8d-acfa-433a-9b6e-c05250062bc1/mayor - In Section Best of Fests: ’TIL KINGDOM COME by Maya Zinshtein (docu 76 min.) See: https://www.idfa.nl/en/film/c0e65192-b1a9-4fbe-b380-c74002cee909/til-kingdom-come Trailer: https://www.idfa.nl/en/film/c0e65192-b1a9-4fbe-b380-c74002cee909/ti (...)

Middle East Monitor / October 28, 2020 An Israeli Knesset committee has called for banning a film documenting Israel’s siege on the occupied Palestinian West Bank city of Jenin in 2002 and the crimes carried out against its residents, Quds Press reported yesterday. The Foreign and Security Committee at the Israeli Knesset submitted a draft resolution that will be raised to the government’s Attorney General, Avichai Mandelblit, demanding a ban on the film ‘Jenin, Jenin’. The film was produced by the Palestinian-Israeli producer Mohammad Bakeri. It documents the Israeli crimes during the invasion of the Palestinian city through accounts by eyewitnesses. The Knesset committee claimed that the film distorts the image of Israeli soldiers and stressed it should not be displayed. The f (...)

Screening at the Leiden International Film Festival on 30 Oct. and Nov 1, 7 and 8: 'GAZA, MON AMOUR' by the brothers Arab and Tarzan NASSER! For more information, see: https://www.liff.nl/P Programma/Movie/gaza-mon-amour/1296/6

"From Palestine to the world, the militant film of the PLO" is an article written by Kaleem Hawa in the New York Review. The Palestine Film Unit emerged in the late 1960s with the aim of situating Palestine in the global anti-colonial struggle. The Palestinian militant film project emerged in the aftermath of the 1967 Arab–Israeli War, hoping to win international sympathy and solidarity by showing Palestine as one dialect in a global language of anti-colonial struggle. The war—which lasted six days—ended in crushing defeat for the Arab armies and created a new, second wave of Palestinian refugees, as well as an occupation of the West Bank and Gaza that continues to this day. Soon after, Jordan became the main base of operations for the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), which (...)

The annual Palestine Cinema Days (PCD) presents its 7th edition from the 20th to the 26th of October 'despite the unprecedented times Palestine and the world is going through in 2020'. And about this edition: 'Palestine Cinema Days this year is designed to reflect the moment we are living in- screenings taking place physically in socially distanced, open-air cinema spaces and the industry days, the Palestine Film Meetings (PFM), taking place online. The lineup offers twelve films of fiction, ten documentaries and two slots of six short films, Arab and international. Screenings take place in Jerusalem, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Gaza and Haifa. Look for the full program at: http://pcd.flp.ps/films.

RAMALLAH, Saturday, October 3, 2020 (WAFA) – Over 70 film professionals from Palestine and other Arab countries have signed a petition protesting a recent cooperation pact between Emirati and Israeli cinemas and calling for solidarity among the Arab film world. The UAE’s Abu Dhabi Film Commission (ADFC), Israel Film Fund (IFF), and the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel Film and Television School (JSFS) announced last week that they plan to collaborate on a series of initiatives, including educational exchange, joint film and TV projects and a regional film festival. The Arab filmmakers said they were “shocked” that the ADFC had agreed to work with state-backed Israeli film bodies given that Palestinians were still living under occupation. “For more them seven decades Palestinians have lived u (...)

Watch the full movie (53 minutes) from 15/9 to 21/10 on https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/090021-000-A/war-crimes-in-gaza ! War Crimes in Gaza - When French Weapons Kill by Sophie Nivelle-Cardinale et Alice Odiot, France 2020. Could arms manufacturers be made accountable for war crimes? A French arms manufacturer is implicated in a case in Gaza where three Palestinian children are dead. The story of an unprecedented legal battle from the Gaza strip to the Paris law courts.

'So Close Yet So Far' - a series of short animations made by the Visualizing Palestine team. Narration: Dana Dajani The animations that tell the stories of Palestinian families separated by Israeli policy. In Palestine, distance is measured not just in kilometers, but in the insurmountable apartheid laws, bureaucracy, and infrastructure that keep so many Palestinians from a normal life in their own homeland. Sources and Credits: http://bit.ly/VP-scysf Watch: Hiba and the Triplets (2 min) https://vimeo.com/452142082 Ahmad and Rokaya (2 min): https://vimeo.com/452106177 Amani and Adnan (2 min): https://vimeo.com/user17869619 Visualizing Palestine https://vimeo.com/373838912 To become a Member: visualizingpalestine.org/membership

The tenth DC Palestinian Film & Arts Festival will start October 1 at 19:00 until October 11 at 16:00, COMPLETELY DIGITAL with a lot of Palestinian films including Ibrahim by Lina Alabed, Maradona’s Legs by Firas Khoury, and Made in Palestine by Mariam Dwedar, a book talk and Q&A with Isabella Hammad (The Parisian), music from DJ Sarouna and others. The full program will be announced next week. For ticket sale and program: https://www.facebook.com/events/340831860445347.

From 17 to 22 August 2020, the 17th edition of the Al Ard Film Festival will take place! The program per day can be found on: http://xvii.alardfilmfestival.com/programma.html Location: Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy.

The Palestine Film Institute (PFI) website is very useful for everyone interested in Palestinian Cinema. See: https://www.palestinefilminstitute.org/en/pfp/ - also for their interesting publications. One of the initiatives launched by the PFI in collaboration with filmmakers from Palestine and Palestinian cultural institutions is the Palestine Film Platform. This Platform will stream a Palestinian Feature Film every week for free: https://www.palestinefilminstitute.org/en/pfp. The Palestine Film Platform is also availalble for any Palestinian filmmaker who wants to share her/his recent work. You can give your suggestions, ideas and - of course - films through the contact page or at info@palestinefilminstitute.org.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Palestinian film festivals and other Palestinian film festivals planned in many countries were canceled. As a compensation, some of these festivals give film fans the opportunity to watch films from their program online. For example, the Chicago Palestine Film Festival showed the films "Ave Maria" and "The Idol" via Facebook last week. Other film festivals opt for postponement. For example, the Festival Ciné-Palestine site states that the festival planned for May is hopefully possible in the fall. See https://www.festivalpalestine.paris/. The 11th Arab Film Festival Berlin has also opted for postponement, but does not yet mention a new date, see https://alfilm.berlin/en. The same goes for the Haifa Independent Film Festival that was scheduled for March and (...)