Arte East Film Series: Exploring Political and Cultural Narratives through Food (virtual)
2023-09-28 - 2023-10-01
THERE IS SALT AND BREAD BETWEEN US

Featuring Larissa Sansour & Youmna Chlala, Marwa Benhalim & Andrea Nones-Kobiakov, and Alia Yunis.

Online Screening: September 28- October 1, 2023
RSVP at arabfilmseries.org
Free / $5 Suggested donation
Available Worldwide

The Golden Harvest, Alia Yunis, Greece/ Italy/Spain/Palestine, 2019, 85 min.

The Golden Harvest is a 6,000-year old love story in which the filmmaker tries to understand the profound, often troubled, relationship between olive trees and the people of Mediterranean, including Palestinian father.

The Devil’s Recipe, Marwa Benhalim & Andrea Nones-Kobiakov, Egypt, 2020, 12 min.

The Devil’s Recipe is a collaboration between Andrea Nones-Kobiakov and Marwa Benhalim – a playful view of the nonsensicality within political discourses. Mundane everyday objects, actions, ingredients, and utterances emphasize the redundant and useless nature of propagandistic speeches. The reality in the spoken words is mixed to create new fictions, proverbs, idioms, and linguistic manipulations highlighting the absurd illusions of power and stability we regularly are made to believe. Based on remarks by Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías at the 61st United Nations General Assembly, 2006 and remarks by Muammar al-Gaddafi at the 64th United Nations General Assembly, 2009.

Trespass the Salt. Larissa Sansour & Youmna Chlala, Lebanon, 2012, 12 min.

Through this intimate and fictionalized dinner, an impossible happening becomes real. The work explores cultural fabrications and similarities in a non-mediated moment outside the Western gaze – even if the space it seeks is invariably conditioned by it. This work was initially a 3-channel video installation.

The Arab Film Series online is a monthly program of films and discussions with artists and filmmakers from the SWANA region and its diasporas, presented by ArteEast in partnership with the Arab American National Museum and Arab Film and Media Institute.

Virtual Movie Screenings: Every Saturday with Palestine Museum US
2023-09-30 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual
Saturday, September 30, 2023
12:00 PM 2:00 PM
Palestine Museum US (map)

Start on Sat, Aug 6, 2022 at 12:00pm. End on Sat, Aug 6, 2022 at 2:00pm.
Click here to register for this event.
The film screening will be followed by a discussion with the film director Basela Abou Hamed. Screening will start at 12:00 Noon US EDT; 19:00 PM Palestine, 18:00 europe. Duration: 52 Minutes | Subtitled in English, 2021.
Abou Hamed’s family sought refuge initially in Jenin, then in a village in the Ramallah area, Kufur Ni’mah, and eventually in Damascus, Syria where they ended up in the Yarmouk Refugee Camp.

Virtual Movie Screenings: Every Saturday with Palestine Museum US
2023-10-07 09:00 - 11:00, 2023-11-04 09:00 - 11:00, 2023-12-02 09:00 - 11:00, 2024-01-06 09:00 - 11:00, 2024-02-03 09:00 - 11:00, 2024-03-02 09:00 - 11:00 | Virtual
Check website: https://www.palestinemuseum.us/events for current showings and for registration links!
Often the screening ends with a Q&A with the director!

Social Justice Film Festival: Listed
2023-10-14 20:30 - 22:00
Showings – select to order tickets:
Sat, Oct 14th, 8:30 PM @ Social Justice Film Institute

Social Justice Film Festival: We Dare to Dream
2023-10-15 14:00 - 15:30
We Dare to Dream is the story of refugee athletes from Iran, Syria, South Sudan, and Cameroon who swim, run, and fight their way to opportunity and safety in host nations across the world. Spanning a breadth of backgrounds, personal stories, and Olympic sports, the film reveals the lives and hopes of refugee athletes training to compete on the world stage, showing the fire and the drive of young people forced to leave their families, homes, and countries of birth to build new lives out of nothing.
Directed by Academy Award®-nominated Waad al-Kateab (For Sama), executive produced by Angelina Jolie, and produced by Academy Award® winner Joanna Natasegara (The White Helmets, Virunga, The Edge of Democracy) and Emmy-winning producer Abigail Anketell-Jones (The Edge of Democracy, The Nightcrawlers) of Violet Films, two time Academy Award®-nominated producer, Bryn Mooser (Body Team 12, Lifeboat) and Kathryn Everett of XTR Studios and Joe Gebbia of Gebbia Productions, We Dare to Dream tells the amazing stories of young refugee athletes aiming to compete in the Tokyo Olympics. This is their story of resilience and inspiration, hardship and loss, hope, and home. Culminating in their competition at the summer Olympics, their compatriots back home and their new communities in refugee camps watch as these determined young athletes fight for their place in the world. This is their story of heart in the face of adversity, and most of all, hope for a better life.
AND VIRTUAL SCREENINGS AVAILABLE
https://socialjusticefilmfestival.org/festival#films

Six Films for Palestine: Solidarity Screening + Fu (Online)
2023-10-19 - 2023-11-22 | Virtual
We stand in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank who are facing an escalation of violence by Israel aimed at their displacement, dispossession and destruction. What we are witnessing right now in Gaza are the horrors of genocide. A culmination of violence which has been ongoing for 75 years.
To help raise money to support Palestinians as they deal with this current escalation of violence, we are hosting a month-long online solidarity screening programme featuring a collection of six films by Palestinian filmmakers. In this collection of films, Palestinian filmmakers explore all the ways that the Israeli occupation stifles life and the many more ways that Palestinians find to resist and persist.
Donate what you can and please share widely. All donations will be split evenly between Medical Aid Palestine and Arwa’s relatives in Gaza. The films will be available to view online till 22nd November.

Once you have signed up you will see a link to the films in your order receipt and at the bottom of your confirmation email, under ‘additional information’. Look for an app.curate-it.co.uk link.

Films:
We No Longer Prefer Mountains (2023) dir, Inas Halabi
WE NO LONGER PREFER MOUNTAINS takes place in the Druze town of Dalyet el Carmel, in northern Palestine, pulling the viewer into a surreal world of geographic isolation, shrouded mysticism and a locale shaped by co-optation, coercion, and control. Weaving together intimate engagements with members of the community, in shared domestic spaces and outdoor environments, the film sets out to explore how the inner politics of the Druze have been controlled and reshaped as a result of the establishment of Israel in 1948. The film is informed by the landscape theory (fûkeiron), a Japanese Avant Garde film movement in the 60s whereby the filmmakers posited that filming the everyday surroundings reveal the oppressive and repressively isolating landscapes and the powers at play.
This film is only available in the UK, Belgium, Netherlands, Palestine, Canada, USA and Italy.

Foragers (2022) dir, Jumana Manna
Foragers depicts the dramas around the practice of foraging for wild edible plants in Palestine/Israel with wry humor and a meditative pace. Shot in the Golan Heights, the Galilee and Jerusalem, it employs fiction, documentary and archival footage to portray the impact of Israeli nature protection laws on these customs. The restrictions prohibit the collection of the artichoke-like ’akkoub and za’atar (thyme), and have resulted in fines and trials for hundreds caught collecting these native plants. For Palestinians, these laws constitute an ecological veil for legislation that further alienates them from their land while Israeli state representatives insist on their scientific expertise and duty to protect. Following the plants from the wild to the kitchen, from the chases between the foragers and the nature patrol, to courtroom defenses, Foragers captures the joy and knowledge embodied in these traditions alongside their resilience to the prohibitive law. By reframing the terms and constraints of preservation, the film raises questions around the politics of extinction, namely who determines what is made extinct and what gets to live on.

Strange Cities Are Familiar (2019) dir, Saeed Taji Farouky
Ashraf has been a political refugee in London for 30 years, content with spending his days in his study or his local social club. One day he receives a call from his friend, telling Ashraf that his son Moataz has been fatally wounded in a protest. His friend pleads with Ashraf to return home. As Ashraf struggles to return to Palestine, he recollects moments from his past – memories that are a heavy burden and a reminder of his failures and mistakes.

Ghost Hunting (2017) dir, Raed Andoni
For more than 25 years, one image has been haunting director Raed Andoni – that of a boy (18), head covered with a bag and handcuffed, sitting inside a prison yard. The same sounds always accompany this image: metal doors opening and footsteps slowly approaching. Through the lower part of the bag, the boy can see a man wearing white sneakers walking away. A survivor of the prison experience himself, Raed has fragmented memories that he can’t distinguish as real or imaginary.
In order to confront the ghost that haunts him, he decides to rebuild the Al-Moscobiya investigation centre in an empty warehouse near Ramallah. A casting call for former prisoners results in an eclectic group of construction workers, a blacksmith, an architect and an artist. As they build a copy of their former jail based on their own memories, Raed digs deep into their memories, triggered by reenactments and roleplaying. For this purpose, he focuses on the story of Mohammad (50), whose resistance to the investigation methods – stoked by laughter and rebellion – made him a hero among Palestinians.

A World Not Ours (2012) dir, Mahdi Fleifel
A World Not Ours is a passionate, bittersweet account of one family’s multi-generational experience living as permanent refugees. Now a Danish resident, director Mahdi Fleifel grew up in the Ain el-Helweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon, established in 1948 as a temporary refuge for exiled Palestinians. Today, the camp houses 70,000 people and is the hometown of generations of Palestinians. The filmmaker’s childhood memories are surprisingly warm and humorous, a testament to the resilience of the community. Yet his yearly visits reveal the increasing desperation of family and friends who remain trapped in psychological as well as political limbo. Official Selection of the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival.

They Do Not Exist (1974) dir, Mustafa Abu Ali
Salvaged from the ruins of Beirut after 1982, Abu Ali’s early film has only recently been made available. Shooting under extraordinary conditions, the director, who worked with Godard on his Ici et Ailleurs (Here and Elsewhere), and founded the PLO’s film division, covers conditions in Lebanon’s refugee camps, the effects of Israeli bombardments, and the lives of guerrillas in training camps. They Do Not Exist is a stylistically unique work which demonstrates the intersection between the political and the aesthetic. Now recognised as a cornerstone in the development of Palestinian cinema, the film only received its Palestine premiere in 2003, when a group of Palestinian artists “smuggled” the director to a makeshift cinema in his hometown of Jerusalem (into which Israel bars his entry).

Bios:
Inas Halabi (b.1988, Palestine) is an Artist/Filmmaker. Her practice is concerned with how social and political forms of power are manifested and the impact that overlooked or suppressed histories have on contemporary life. Recent exhibitions and screenings include Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival (2023), de Appel Amsterdam (2023), Showroom London (2022), Europalia Festival, Brussels (2021), Silent Green Betonhalle, Berlin (2021); Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2020); and Film at Lincoln Center, USA (2020). She lives and works between Palestine and the Netherlands.
Jumana Manna is a visual artist and filmmaker. Her work explores how power is articulated, focusing on the body, land and materiality in relation to colonial inheritances and histories of place. Through sculpture, filmmaking, and occasional writing, Manna deals with the paradoxes of preservation practices, particularly within the fields of archaeology, agriculture and law. Her practice considers the tension between the modernist traditions of categorisation and conservation and the unruly potential of ruination as an integral part of life and its regeneration. Jumana was raised in Jerusalem and lives in Berlin.
Mahdi Fleifel (1979, United Arab Emirates) is a Danish-Palestinian filmmaker and visual artist who was born in Dubai, grew up in a refugee camp in Lebanon and moved to Denmark in 1988. Fuelled by his own experience, his films frequently deal with refugees. His debut feature, A World Not Ours (2012), received over 30 awards from different festivals and in 2016 he received a Silver Bear Jury Prize for his short, A Man Returned.
Saeed Taji Farouky is a Palestinian-Egyptian-British filmmaker, educator, and curator who has been making work around themes of conflict, human rights, and colonialism since 2004. His work is dedicated to developing a vernacular cinema, liberated from the conventions of the industry and distinct from classical European story structure.His 2021 documentary, A Thousand Fires premiered as the opening film of Locarno’s Critics’ Week where it won the Marco Zucchi Prize for most innovative documentary. His previous feature documentary Tell Spring Not to Come This Year premiered at Berlinale 2015 where it won 2 awards.
Born in 1967 in the West Bank, Raed Andoni is a self-taught filmmaker who has been involved in the development of independent cinema in Palestine since 1997. Producer before becoming a director, he is the co-founder of Dar Films, an independent production company based in Ramallah. Through Dar, he has produced and co-produced several award-winning documentaries, such as The Inner Tour, Live from Palestine and Invasion. Raed Andoni is also the co-founder of the Paris-based production company Les Films de Zayna.
Mustafa Abu Ali, (1940 in Maliha, Palestine – 30 July 2009 in Jerusalem, Palestine) was a Palestinian filmmaker. Abu Ali studied at the University of California-Berkeley in the 1960s before studying cinema in London, graduating in 1967. One of the founders of Palestinian cinema under the auspices of the PLO, and the Palestinian Cinema Association in Beirut in 1973, (re-established in Ramallah in 2004), he wrote four screenplays and directed more than 30 films, for which he won more than 14 awards, the most recent from the 2003 Ismailia Film Festival.

We’d like to thank all the filmmakers for giving us permission to use their films in solidarity with Palestinians and for their generosity and help during this horrendous time. Thank you also to Aya Films/Curate-it for providing the online platform from which to share the films.
……………
Other Cinemas is a project focused on the transformational power of film; whether that is showcasing the work of Black and non-white filmmakers; creating networks for Black and non-white creatives to work, learn and collaborate; or using film to document the stories of Black and non-white communities. Other Cinemas regularly hosts free film screenings in ways and spaces that serve our communities and also runs an informal film school of young Black and non-white filmmakers which seeks to create a real space for conversation and collaboration. Other Cinemas was set up by Arwa Aburawa and Turab Shah, two filmmakers who saw the need for better ways to make and share films.

Follow us on social media for news on more free film events:
https://twitter.com/othercinemas
https://www.facebook.com/0thercinemas
https://www.instagram.com/othercinemas

Movie: Bank of Targets: A Glimpse Into the Devastation Unleashed by Israeli Bombing of Gaza [virtual]
2023-10-28 12:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
To register for this event please click here.
The screening of the film will be followed by Q&A discussion with fthe audience. Running time is 26 Minutes. English subtitles.

About the Film
Bank of Targets: A Glimpse Into the Devastation Unleashed by Israeli Bombing of Gaza
Introduction
“Bank of Targets,” a powerful documentary film directed by acclaimed Palestinian filmmaker/journalist the late Rushdi Sarraj (he was murdered by Israeli bombings last week), sheds light on the horrifying aftermath of the relentless Israeli bombing campaigns on the Gaza Strip. Released amidst rising concerns over the recurring cycle of violence, the film offers a harrowing examination of the extensive destruction and immense loss of life caused by these devastating attacks. Through its poignant storytelling and compelling visuals, “Bank of Targets” provides a insight into the profound impact of Israeli airstrikes on the lives of Palestinians in Gaza.

The Devastating Reality
The film captures the heart-wrenching scenes that become all too common in Gaza, as families are torn apart and entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble. Through testimonies of survivors, eyewitness accounts, and comprehensive footage, “Bank of Targets” skillfully depicts the indiscriminate nature of the Israeli airstrikes. It showcases the widespread devastation, explicitly highlighting the destruction of essential civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and residential areas.
The Human Toll
In “Bank of Targets,” the film’s lens focuses on the true victims—the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. By highlighting personal stories, the documentary humanizes the conflict, revealing that behind the staggering statistics lies a multitude of shattered dreams, irreparable loss, and profound grief. It introduces us to families who have lost loved ones, children who have been robbed of their childhood, and individuals grappling with a future plagued by uncertainty and trauma.
Conclusion
Through its well-crafted narrative and compelling storytelling, “Bank of Targets” serves as a powerful tool for increasing awareness about the extensive destruction and loss of life endured by Palestinians in Gaza following Israeli bombings. By amplifying the voices of survivors and highlighting the urgent need for justice, the documentary prompts viewers to reflect on the profound human cost of violence and reconsider the importance of finding a just and lasting resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. In a world marked by growing calls for empathy and understanding, “Bank of Targets” contributes to a narrative that strives for peace, justice, and the recognition of the inherent dignity and rights of every individual, regardless of their nationality or origin.

Farha: Online Film and Discussion
2023-11-05 09:00 - 11:00 | Virtual
This Sunday November 5, 2023, 12:00 Noon US EST; 19:00 Palestine; 18:00 Europe.
Film “Farha,” Directed by Darin J. Sallam. 92 minutes, English subtitles.
About the Film
Farha is a 14-year-old girl who lives in a small village in Palestine, 1948. Girls her age are traditionally married off or spoken for yet Farha wants to continue her education despite traditions and the restrictions of schooling in her village to boys only. Inseparable from her best friend Farida, who lives in the city but who spends weekends in the village, Farha dreams of joining her at a school in the city. Life in the village is threatened and aggressively changed by the looming danger. Just when Farha’s father is finally convinced and Farha’s dream is at last coming true, the danger comes closer to their village. As violence escalates, Farha is brutally separated from Farida. Terrorized for his daughter’s safety and fearing for her life, Farha’s father locks her up in a concealed, small food storage space by the house, promising to return. But he never does.

Palestinian Voices: Streaming Movies
2023-11-09 - 2023-11-30 | Virtual
In this dire time, we want to share a selection of films that showcase the history, culture, and people of Palestine. In partnership with the Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI), we present Palestinian Voices, which can serve as a resource to provide insight into the current situation unfolding in Gaza and the people being affected. We seek to continually change the narrative, share our stories, and foster understanding of our common humanity through art and storytelling.

Online Program:
Closeness to the Land (2022), directed by Mona Gazala
Fadia’s Tree (2021), directed by Sarah Beddington
From Under the Rubble (2017), directed by Anne Tsouli
Gaza Fights for Freedom (2019), directed by Abby Martin
Gaza Surf Club (2017), directed by Mickey Yamine and Philip Gnadt
Mariam (2020), directed by Dana Durr
Something from the There (2020), directed by Rana Nazzal Hamadeh
Under the Lemon Tree (2020), directed by Noor Fawzi Al-Asswad
Wild Plants of Palestine (2018), directed by Alaa Abu Asad

Stay tuned for more films and curated programs to be added throughout the month of November

Palestinian Voices will run through the entire month of November. You can watch most of the films in this series online and from anywhere in the world. A few titles are limited to viewers in the United States.

RSVP for Online Screening

The Land Speaks Arabic (La terre parle arabe): Free Screening and Discussion [In-Person Only]
2023-11-14 18:30 - 20:30 | Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 2, Seattle, WA, 98122, United States
Join us for a screening of Maryse Gargour’s 2007 documentary that explores the history of Palestine, and the Zionist leaders who worked to remove its people from their homeland.
Afterward, we will discuss the film and reflect on our individual power to enact change and support Palestinian liberation.

Streaming Movies from Aflamuna: Films From Palestine
2023-11-27 - 2023-11-29 | Virtual
اخترنا لكم في تشرين الثاني
تكرّس AFLAMUNA.online شهر تشرين الثاني لأفلام مؤثرة عن فلسطين، وإصرار شعبها الذي لا يكلّ.
في هذا البرنامج المخصّص، نسلّط الضوء على النضال الذي لا يتزعزع وروح الشعب الفلسطيني التي لا تُقهر، وقوّتهم ومثابرتهم.
منصّتنا لأصوات الفلسطينيين؛ نحتفي بالسردية الفلسطينية وقوة شعبها، ونقف ضد أي محاولات لتزييف تاريخها والمساس بحقوق الفلسطينيين.

OUR PICKS FOR NOVEMBER
AFLAMUNA.online is dedicating the month of November to a compelling selection of films, each a profound testament to the story of Palestine.
In this dedicated program, we shed a brilliant light on the unwavering struggle and indomitable spirit of the Palestinian people, unearthing narratives that resound with their strength and perseverance.
A heartfelt tribute to Palestine, amplifying Palestinian voices, adhering to the rights of Palestinians, honoring Palestinian narratives, and standing against any attempts to falsify its history and any violation of the rights of its people.

كأنّنا عشرون مستحيل
آن ماري جاسر 17 د.
فلسطين المحتلّة: عندما يقرّر طاقم فيلم فلسطيني تفادي نقطة تفتيش مغلقة وإتخاذ طريق فرعيّ، يتبيّن المشهد السياسي، ويُفصل بين الرّكاب بوحشيّةالإحتلال الدونية. قصيدة بصريّة وسرديّة في آن واحد، يتساءل فيلم “كأنّنا عشرون مستحيل” بسخرية عن المسؤوليّة الفنّية وسياسة صناعة الأفلام من خلال مساءلة سياسات تجزئة وتقسيم شعب بأكمله.

Like Twenty Impossibles
Annemarie Jacir 17 MINS

Occupied Palestine: When a Palestinian film crew averts a closed checkpoint by taking a remote side road, the political landscape unravels, and the passengers are slowly taken apart by the mundane brutality of military occupation. A visual poem and a narrative, “Like Twenty Impossibles” wryly question artistic responsibility and filmmaking’s politics while speaking to a people’s fragmentation.

play / للمشاهدة

23 تشرين الثاني – 6 كانون الأول

November 23 – December 6

اليد الخضراء
إيمانويل جيروزا 65 د.
جهاد وعبدالله، مؤسسي فريق باركور غزة، نشآ معًا في قطاع غزة، لكن خياراتهما فرقتهما على مرّ السنين. اليوم، أكثر من أي وقت مضى، يحتاجون إلى معرفة ما إذا كان هناك سبيل إلى الحرية، لشخص مثلهما، وُلد في السجن.

One More Jump
Emanuele Gerosa 65 MINS

Jehad and Abdallah, founders of the Gaza Parkour Team, were brought up together in the Gaza Strip, but their choices divided them for years. Today, more than ever, they need to find out if there is a way to lead to freedom for someone who, like them, was born in prison.

play / للمشاهدة

30 تشرين الثاني – 13 كانون الأول

November 30 – December 13

خيوط السرد
كارول منصور 78 د.
تجلس أمامنا إثنتا عشر إمرأة فلسطينية وتتحدّثن عن حياتهن قبل الشتات، عن ذكرياتهن، حياتهن، وهويّتهن. ترتبط القصص من خلال خيط التطريز الأبدي. إثنتا عشر امرأة، يمتلكن الصّمود، العزم، وبلاغة التعبير، يستمدّنّ إيّاها من مختلف أوجه حياتهنّ: محاميات، فنانات، ربّات منزل، ناشطات، مهندسات، وسياسيّات، يطرزن معًا قصة وطنهن وحرمانهن وثبوتهن على مبدأ أنّ العدالة لا بد أن تسود يومًا. من خلال قصصهن، يتشابك السرد الفردي مع السرد الجماعي، محافظًا في الوقت ذاته على تميّزه وخصوصيّته. إثنتا عشر إمرأة، إثنتا عشر عمرًا، وقصصٌ من فلسطين، أرضٌ كان موقعها محدّدًا على خريطة العالم، صار واقعها مطرّزًا على وجهه.

Stitching Palestine
Carol Mansour 78 MINS

Twelve Palestinian women sit before us and talk of their life before the Diaspora, of their memories, of their lives, and of their identity. Their narratives are connected by the enduring thread of the ancient art of embroidery. Twelve resilient, determined, and articulate women from disparate walks of life: lawyers, artists, housewives, activists, architects, and politicians stitch together the story of their homeland, of their dispossession, and of their unwavering determination that justice will prevail. Through their stories, the individual weaves into the collective yet remains distinctly personal. Twelve women, twelve life spans, and stories from Palestine, a land whose position was fixed on the map of the world but is now embroidered on its face.

play / للمشاهدة

Pray Beyond Borders - Films for Palestine from Mexico to Gaza
2023-11-29 19:00 - 21:00 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N,, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States
We will be showing clips from the forthcoming documentary Pray Beyond Borders – A Requiem for Friendship Park and discussing the feature-length version of the film we are finishing now and the ongoing crisis at the border, as well as showing a series of short films from Palestine.
All proceeds from ticket sales will go directly to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.
Buy Tickets

15 Free Videos for Context on Israel's War on Gaza
2023-12-28 - 2024-01-22 | Virtual
15 FREE VIDEOS FOR CONTEXT ON ISRAEL’S WAR ON GAZA
As Israel’s war on Gaza continues, and the Palestinian civilian death toll escalates, we’ve decided to make fifteen MEF films and videos available for free online to provide historical context that’s too often been missing in U.S. media and political discourse in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack. Below you’ll find documentary features, talks, and panels on a range of topics, from Israel’s brutal and illegal 56-year military occupation of Palestinian land, to the role corporate news media and U.S. political leaders of both parties have played in enabling Israeli human rights violations, to the long history of dehumanizing media representations of Arabs in American popular culture, to the targeting of journalists and the smearing of critics of Israeli policy as anti-Semites and terrorist sympathizers. These films will be available to stream for free through January 22, 2024.

Screening and discussion of “Fedayin: The Struggles of Georges Abdallah”
2023-12-30 16:00 - 19:00 | Register for Location
Please join us for a screening and discussion of, “Fedayin: The Struggles of Georges Abdallah”
Join us in the call for his freedom! We will be studying the life in struggle of Georges Abdallah, a Lebanese revolutionary. He is the longest held political prisoner in Europe for now 39 years!
🔸Saturday 30th 4-7pm
🔸RSVP link in bio for location.
🔸Bring snacks and blankets!
🔸Sliding scale donation 0-$20
🔸Masks encouraged.
Please note that if you are unable to make this screening, this film is free to stream via YouTube in Arabic, French, English, Spanish and German.
Go to Samidoun.net to find the links.

Movie: Four Daughters [In-Person Only]
2024-01-03 19:30 - 21:30 | Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 2, Seattle, WA, 98122, United States
Kaouther Ben Hania’s riveting, experimental mix of documentary and fiction explores rebellion, memory, and sisterhood as it reconstructs the story of Olfa Hamrouni and her four daughters. Through intimate interviews and performance, the film unpacks how Olfa’s two eldest were radicalized by the Islamic State. Tunisia’s Official Submission to the 96th Academy Awards, and winner of l’Oeil d’Or at Cannes

Tickets + Info

Wed Jan 03: 7.30pm PDT

Thu Jan 04: 7.30pm PDT

Fri Jan 05: 7.30pm PDT

Sat Jan 06: 4.30pm PDT, 7.30pm PDT

Sun Jan 07: 4.30pm PDT, 7.30pm PDT

Movie: Four Daughters [In-Person Only]
2024-01-04 19:30 - 21:30 | Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 2, Seattle, WA, 98122, United States
Kaouther Ben Hania’s riveting, experimental mix of documentary and fiction explores rebellion, memory, and sisterhood as it reconstructs the story of Olfa Hamrouni and her four daughters. Through intimate interviews and performance, the film unpacks how Olfa’s two eldest were radicalized by the Islamic State. Tunisia’s Official Submission to the 96th Academy Awards, and winner of l’Oeil d’Or at Cannes

Tickets + Info

Thu Jan 04: 7.30pm PDT

Fri Jan 05: 7.30pm PDT

Sat Jan 06: 4.30pm PDT, 7.30pm PDT

Sun Jan 07: 4.30pm PDT, 7.30pm PDT

Movie: Four Daughters [In-Person Only]
2024-01-05 19:30 - 21:30 | Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 2, Seattle, WA, 98122, United States
Kaouther Ben Hania’s riveting, experimental mix of documentary and fiction explores rebellion, memory, and sisterhood as it reconstructs the story of Olfa Hamrouni and her four daughters. Through intimate interviews and performance, the film unpacks how Olfa’s two eldest were radicalized by the Islamic State. Tunisia’s Official Submission to the 96th Academy Awards, and winner of l’Oeil d’Or at Cannes

Tickets + Info

Fri Jan 05: 7.30pm PDT

Sat Jan 06: 4.30pm PDT, 7.30pm PDT

Sun Jan 07: 4.30pm PDT, 7.30pm PDT

Movie: Four Daughters [In-Person Only]
2024-01-06 16:30 - 18:30 | Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 2, Seattle, WA, 98122, United States
Kaouther Ben Hania’s riveting, experimental mix of documentary and fiction explores rebellion, memory, and sisterhood as it reconstructs the story of Olfa Hamrouni and her four daughters. Through intimate interviews and performance, the film unpacks how Olfa’s two eldest were radicalized by the Islamic State. Tunisia’s Official Submission to the 96th Academy Awards, and winner of l’Oeil d’Or at Cannes

Tickets + Info

Sat Jan 06: 4.30pm PDT, 7.30pm PDT

Sun Jan 07: 4.30pm PDT, 7.30pm PDT

Movie: Four Daughters [In-Person Only]
2024-01-06 19:30 - 21:30 | Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 2, Seattle, WA, 98122, United States
Kaouther Ben Hania’s riveting, experimental mix of documentary and fiction explores rebellion, memory, and sisterhood as it reconstructs the story of Olfa Hamrouni and her four daughters. Through intimate interviews and performance, the film unpacks how Olfa’s two eldest were radicalized by the Islamic State. Tunisia’s Official Submission to the 96th Academy Awards, and winner of l’Oeil d’Or at Cannes

Tickets + Info

Sat Jan 06: 7.30pm PDT

Sun Jan 07: 4.30pm PDT, 7.30pm PDT

Movie: Four Daughters [In-Person Only]
2024-01-07 16:30 - 18:30 | Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 2, Seattle, WA, 98122, United States
Kaouther Ben Hania’s riveting, experimental mix of documentary and fiction explores rebellion, memory, and sisterhood as it reconstructs the story of Olfa Hamrouni and her four daughters. Through intimate interviews and performance, the film unpacks how Olfa’s two eldest were radicalized by the Islamic State. Tunisia’s Official Submission to the 96th Academy Awards, and winner of l’Oeil d’Or at Cannes

Tickets + Info

Sun Jan 07: 4.30pm PDT, 7.30pm PDT

Movie: Four Daughters [In-Person Only]
2024-01-07 19:30 - 21:30 | Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 2, Seattle, WA, 98122, United States
Kaouther Ben Hania’s riveting, experimental mix of documentary and fiction explores rebellion, memory, and sisterhood as it reconstructs the story of Olfa Hamrouni and her four daughters. Through intimate interviews and performance, the film unpacks how Olfa’s two eldest were radicalized by the Islamic State. Tunisia’s Official Submission to the 96th Academy Awards, and winner of l’Oeil d’Or at Cannes

Tickets + Info

Sun Jan 07: 7.30pm PDT

Online Film Salon: Israelism
2024-01-21 12:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Israel is central to the political and cultural life of the American Jewish community. But it has also become a deeply divisive subject, as painful generational cracks have emerged within the Jewish community over the Israel-Palestine conflict, inspiring argument, protest and even censorship.

Focusing on the stories of two young Americans raised to defend Israel at all costs, Israelism traces their awakening to Israel’s dehumanization of Palestinians and the ongoing violence of the occupation. The film explores the past, present, and future of the relationship between American Jews and Israel, as growing numbers question whether support for Israel should condition and define their Jewish identity. Featuring a range of American Jewish thinkers, community leaders and activists, Israelism asks how and why Israel became the cornerstone of American Judaism, what the consequences have been, and what will happen as divisions continue to grow.

Watch the film for free at your convenience; then join the Q&A Discussion with:
Erin Axelman: filmmaker, co-founder of Tikkun Olam Productions
Simone Zimmerman: Jewish American activist, co-founder of IfNotNow
Lubna Alzaroo: instructor at University of Washington specializing in settler colonialism
Peter Beinart: editor-at-large at Jewish Currents, professor of journalism, CUNY and Publisher, The Beinart Newsletter

You must register to join the discussion & receive access to the film: Tinyurl.com/VFHL-January2024
Watch the Trailer: Tinyurl.com/VFHL-IsraelismTrailer
How this will work:
1 – Register here for the Voices from the Holy Land Online Film Salon:
Tinyurl.com/VFHL-January2024
2 – Once you register, you will get a confirmation email from Zoom with a link to the meeting and a link with to watch the film. (Save this confirmation letter as the meeting link is unique to your email and you must have this to participate.)
3 – Watch the film at your convenience before the event. Then join us with your thoughts and questions for our speakers at the Q&A Discussion on Sunday January 21, 2024 at 3 pm ET/ 12 noon PT.
Please share this announcement with your friends, family, and community. Download the event flyer and post it to your social media.
Download the event flyer here. (Download the jpg version here)
Download information about the Panelists and moderator here. (Download the jpg version here)
Don’t forget to watch recordings of previous Online Film Salon recordings in their entirety here, including for the November 19, 2023 Online Film Salon on Marketing the Occupation – Part Two: Media and the Palestine Problem. An article in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs on the November Salon can be found here. Also read an article on the July 2023 Salon on My Tree in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. A second article on My Tree in Mondoweiss can be read here.
The January 2024 VFHL Online Film Salon is co-sponsored by
Independent Jewish Voices – Canada
Northern New Jersey Jewish Voice for Peace
SUPPORTER Organizations:: Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace Quaker Palestine Israel Network Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East Indiana Center for Middle East Peace Disciples of Christ Palestine-Israel Network Virginia Coalition for Human Rights Mennonite Palestine Israel Network Friends of Sabeel North America Center for Jewish Nonviolence Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network Northern New Jersey Jewish Voice for Peace United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service Churches for Middle East Peace Kairos Puget Sound Coalition Pax Christi USA Jewish Voice for Peace – San Diego

For questions & comments please contact us at vfhlonlinefilmsalon@gmail.com
Visit our website at www.voicesfromtheholyland.org
Join us at Facebook.com/voicesholyland

Palestinian Stories: An evening of films and discussions with Palestinian Filmmaker & Vocalist Dina Amin
2024-01-24 19:00 - 21:00 | Islamic School of Seattle, 720 25th Ave, Seattle, WA, 98122, United States
January 24th, 7-9
Join us for an insightful evening of cinematic exploration as we screen a collection of thought-provoking short documentaries and a groovy music video by the filmmaker and vocalist, Dina Amin. Immerse yourself in the powerful narratives that capture the essence of Palestinian culture, resilience, and the spirit of change.
Dina is an award-winning and multi-talented Palestinian filmmaker & vocalist who wants to tell inspiring stories on social and humanitarian issues. While studying in London (UK) for a BA degree in Filmmaking, Dina co-directed and co-produced her first short documentary, “Rise Up”, which has been screened in five international film festivals.
Born in Jerusalem, Palestine, Dina is the co-founder of Space Collective, an art house based in Ramallah, which works to build a stronger community in film and music.

Children's Film Festival Seattle: NWFF: Virtual AND In Person
2024-02-02 - 2024-02-10 | Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 2, Seattle, WA, 98122, United States
Watch virtually online: Feb. 2–10, 2024
or see in person listings underneath the film titles below
Movies with Arab characters or from Arab countries:

Family Hug (Ages 13+) [Hybrid]
Watch in person: Feb. 4 at 5:30pm
Included: Fraiha Six-year-old Amal attempts to overcome her classroom literacy struggles with the help of her loving mother, Fraiha. Seattle premiere!
(Amal Al-Shammari & Hossein Heydar, Qatar, 2022, 6 min, nonverbal)

Full Length Movie: Mountain Boy (Ages 10+) [Hybrid]

Watch in person: Feb. 3 at 5:30pm
https://nwfilmforum.org/films/cffs-2024-mountain-boy-ages-10-hybrid/

Film Shorts New Homes (Ages 13+) [Hybrid]
Watch in person: Feb. 3 at 1:30pm

Included: Jasmin’s Two Homes: When Jasmin’s parents decide to move their family back to her dad’s home country, Somaliland, she is faced with the biggest change of her life. She has to say goodbye to the familiar playgrounds in the Finnish suburbs, and to her best friend. When she arrives in Somaliland, she’s struck with culture shock: the streets are not paved, and camels roam around freely. But Jasmin starts to appreciate that nobody stares at her like they do in Finland. Maybe having two homes isn’t so bad after all? Pacific Northwest premiere! (Inka Achte & Hanna Karppinen, Finland, 2022, 13 min, in English, Finnish & Somali with English subtitles)

Noir City Film Festival: Cairo Station
2024-02-17 20:15 - 22:00 | SIFF Egyptian, 805 E Pine St, Seattle, WA, 98122
A newspaper hawker at the eponymous train depot develops a frightening obsession with a sexy lemonade vendor. That’s the premise for a drama using the station to depict clashing strata of Egyptian society. A landmark of Egyptian cinema despite boycotts over its unflinching perversity and politics.

Egypt | 1958 | 77 min. | Youssef Chahine
Individual Tickets: $16 | $11 SIFF Members – Select showtime to purchase
Passes: $150 | $125 SIFF Members
