Movie: Foragers
2024-04-03 19:30 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Beacon, 4405 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98118, United States
In her cinematic investigation into the Palestinian practice of foraging za’atar (a thyme-like herb) and ’akkoub (a wild artichoke-like plant), artist Jumana Manna reveals the perils involved in the preservation of Arab traditions under Israeli law. Her inventive blend of fiction, documentary and archival footage in FORAGERS coalesces into a warm portrait of a community whose daily activities resist continued repression.
Beginning with archival footage from a ‘70s Israeli TV program in which the popularity of za’atar among Arabs is being discussed, the film shows an Israeli businessman boasting about his decision to start planting and selling za’atar, transforming the herb from a public good typically foraged by Palestinians into an agricultural commodity that profits Israelis. (It is no coincidence the footage is from the same decade that saw a public ban on the collection of za’atar in Israel.) Manna’s film is clear about how business and politics are embroiled in the continued erasure of Palestinian culture to such effect that the “very simple act of going out and collecting wild weeds becomes about a much wider politics of land control and sovereignty.”
For Manna, FORAGERS is the product of her longstanding interest in the “politics of preservation” and her own experience foraging alongside her parents, who appear throughout the film. Her refusal to let Israeli authorities decide “what gets preserved and gets erased” informs her approach to filmmaking, in which the documentation of family customs affirms Palestinian values and traditions against systemic attempts at blotting a people, their land, and their culture from the world’s collective memory.

Movie: Foragers
2024-04-10 16:30 - 18:00 | The Beacon, 4405 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98118, United States
In her cinematic investigation into the Palestinian practice of foraging za’atar (a thyme-like herb) and ’akkoub (a wild artichoke-like plant), artist Jumana Manna reveals the perils involved in the preservation of Arab traditions under Israeli law. Her inventive blend of fiction, documentary and archival footage in FORAGERS coalesces into a warm portrait of a community whose daily activities resist continued repression.
Beginning with archival footage from a ‘70s Israeli TV program in which the popularity of za’atar among Arabs is being discussed, the film shows an Israeli businessman boasting about his decision to start planting and selling za’atar, transforming the herb from a public good typically foraged by Palestinians into an agricultural commodity that profits Israelis. (It is no coincidence the footage is from the same decade that saw a public ban on the collection of za’atar in Israel.) Manna’s film is clear about how business and politics are embroiled in the continued erasure of Palestinian culture to such effect that the “very simple act of going out and collecting wild weeds becomes about a much wider politics of land control and sovereignty.”

Movie: Foragers
2024-04-11 19:00 - 21:00 | Olympia Capitol Theater, 206 5th Avenue SE, Olympia, WA, 98501, United States
The Olympia Film Society
presents “Foragers” by
Palestinian artist & filmmaker, Jumana Manna
Capitol Theater in Olympia
Thursday, April 11th, 7 p.m.
The event marks Rachel Corrie’s 45th birthday (on April 10th), with proceeds benefitting Palestinian children in Gaza.
The Olympia Film Society, in conjunction with the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, will screen the documentary film Foragers, Thursday, April 11th, at the Capitol Theater, 206 5th Ave SE, in Olympia. Doors open at 6 p.m, and the film will screen at 7 p.m.
With “wry humor and a meditative pace,” the film depicts the dramas around the Palestinian custom of foraging for wild edible plants, and the impact of Israeli nature protection laws on these customs. The film’s director, Jumana Manna, is a Palestinian visual artist and filmmaker whose “work explores how power is articulated, focusing on the body, land and materiality in relation to colonial inheritances and histories of place.”
The 64-minute documentary will be followed by a post-film presentation and Q&A with Savvina Chowdhury, Political Economy and Environmental Justice Professor at The Evergreen State College, and by Peter Bohmer, representing the recently formed Palestine Action of South Sound (PASS).
The film event will mark and celebrate the 45th birthday of local activist Rachel Corrie, killed by the Israeli military in 2003 as she stood to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian family’s home in Gaza. Rachel’s mother, Cindy Corrie, will introduce the documentary. Proceeds from the film screening will benefit Palestinian children in Gaza.
Olympita, the Palestinian owned food truck, will have a pop up, serving Za’atar pie and other delicious food!
Tickets are available online now and at the box office 60 minutes before showtime.
$13 General Admission & $10 for OFS members
All Proceeds Benefit Palestinian Children in Gaza.

Virtual Movie Screenings: Every Saturday with Palestine Museum US
2024-05-04 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!
Saturday March 23, 2024 – Program begins: 12:00 PM US EDT; 17:00 Europe; 18:00 Palestine.
Film: “Salma’s Home,” directed by Palestinian filmmaker Hanadi Elyan.
Three women living in Amman must put their differences aside and work together in order to survive after a death in the family unravels their lives. SALMA (Juliet Awad) is a talented baker living alone in a large old house overlooking downtown Amman, her daughter FARAH (Sameera Asir) is a young working mother with marital problems. Their lives are disrupted by the death of Salma’s ex- husband. The funeral takes place at his current wife’s house, LAMIA (Rania Al Kurdi), an aspiring socialite who is obsessed with building her brand online. After the funeral, shocking facts come to light leading to territorial clashes and finally forcing the three women to accept some harsh realities and take control of their lives.
Please click here to register to watch the film

SIFF: Hajjan [Saudi Arabia]
2024-05-10 13:00 - 15:00 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N,, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States
In the Saudi Arabian desert, teenage Matar and his camel Hofira are inseparable. But when his older brother dies, Matar’s only chance of saving Hofira is to become a “hajjan,” or jockey, and join the winner-takes-all world of Bedouin camel racing.

SIFF: Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano [Lebanon]
2024-05-10 16:00 - 18:00 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N,, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States
While shooting Costa Brava, Lebanon (SIFF 2022), the film crew’s world stopped when Lebanon’s Port of Beirut suddenly exploded, killing over 200 people and injuring thousands more. What does it mean to strive for human dignity and make art amid a country’s continuing turmoil?

Movie: The Old Oak
2024-05-10 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-05-11 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-05-12 17:00 - 19:00, 2024-05-13 19:30 - 21:30, 2024-05-14 19:30 - 21:30, 2024-05-15 19:30 - 21:30, 2024-05-16 16:30 - 18:30, 2024-05-17 16:00 - 18:00 and 1 more date | The Beacon, 4405 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98118, United States
The Old Oak is a special place. Not only is it the last pub standing in its small northern town, but it’s also the only remaining public space where people can meet in a once thriving mining community that has now fallen on hard times after 30 years of decline. Its owner TJ Ballantyne (Dave Turner) hangs on to The Old Oak by his fingertips, and his predicament is endangered even more when the pub becomes contested territory after the arrival of Syrian refugees who are placed in the village without any notice. In an unlikely friendship, TJ meets a curious young Syrian photographer named Yara (Ebla Mari). Together can they find a way for the two communities to understand each other? So unfolds a deeply moving drama about their fragilities and hopes.

SIFF: The Ride Ahead
2024-05-11 13:30 - 15:30 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N,, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States
Samuel Habib is an adventurous, cool, 20-year-old disabled guy who says things like, “Taking risks makes me feel proud, powerful, confident, bold.” He doesn’t want much for his adult life, just to “move into my own place, get married, and maybe have kids.” The Ride Ahead documents three years of Samuel’s search for how he can achieve things that feel so daunting for disabled folks; security, independence, and girlfriends. With the help of his father, filmmaker Daniel Habib, Sam outfits his chair with two video cameras, enabling the audience to see Samuel’s actual point-of-view and how people interact with him. Samuel tells his own story, in his own voice, with the assistance of lovely animation by Xilia Faye and Ben Luce. The question of how to live a great life as a disabled badass propels Samuel to interview leading disability activists and advocates Judy Heumann, Bob Williams, Keith Jones, Ali Stroker, Maysoon Zayid, Andrew Peterson, and Lydia X.Y. Brown.

SIFF: Stress Positions
2024-05-11 19:30 - 21:30, 2024-05-12 15:00 - 17:00 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N,, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States
Alt comic John Early (“Search Party”), Amy Zimmer (Problemista), writer/director Theda Hammel (“My Trip to Spain”), and newcomer Qaher Harhash star is this frantic, coarse, and bitterly funny ensemble comedy set at a pandemic-era Brooklyn brownstone.

SIFF: Voy! Voy! Voy! [Egypt]
2024-05-11 21:15 - 23:15 | AMC Pacific Place, 600 Pine St suite 400, Seattle, WA, 98101, United States
How far would you go to change your life? In Egypt’s official Oscar® submission, Hassan is desperate to leave his home country. With few options left, he pretends to be blind so he can join a disabled soccer team headed to Poland. Inspired by an unbelievable true story.

SIFF: The Burdened (Yemen)
2024-05-13 20:00 - 21:00 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N,, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States
Films from Yemen are rare, in part because of the country’s long-running civil war, now in its tenth year. Indeed, the impact of the war on the country and its citizens—there’s no running water; electricity is erratic; warring factions struggle for control—is one of the burdens faced by middle-class couple Isra’a and Ahmed. Ahmed works for Aden Television, but as a result of the country’s economic crisis, his salary has been suspended for several months. Meanwhile, he’s taken a second job as a taxi driver, but it isn’t enough to keep them and their three children in their comfortable apartment. Isra’a, who has also lost her job, sells her jewelry to make ends meet. This is the context in which Isra’a realizes that she is pregnant. Keenly aware that they cannot afford a fourth child, she is also worried about whether abortion is permitted under Islam. Religious and public opinion on the issue vary, which means that Isra’a’s personal misgivings are only the beginning. Clear-eyed, understated, and compelling,
The Burdened tells a story that is at once specific to Yemen’s particular context, and relatable in any country where religion and politics threaten people’s ability to access the healthcare they need, and take care of themselves and their families.

SIFF: Hajjan [Saudi Arabia]
2024-05-13 20:30 - 22:30 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N,, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States
Two young Bedouin brothers Matar (first-time actor Omar AlAtawi) and Ghanim have grown up listening to stories about their legendary grandfather, referred to only as “Hajjan,” the Arabic word for jockey. Determined to carry on the family tradition, Ghanim is preparing for the Great Safwa Race, where both jockeys and camel owners vie for glory. After Ghanim is killed during the race, it appears that Jasser Al Saqqar, the scheming owner of another team, is responsible. But Matar wants to follow in his brother’s footsteps and volunteers himself and his beloved camel, Hofira, for the next race. When he comes in second, his family sells Hofira to the rival team—which happens to be owned by Jasser. Refusing to be separated from her, Matar is forced to ride for Jasser. In the races that follow, the stakes become higher and higher. Set against the backdrop of the Arabian desert, Hajjan, the second film from Abu Bakr Shawky (Yommedine, SIFF 2019) offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of camel racing, one of the region’s oldest and most popular sports. “Camels are adored by their jockeys,” a Bedouin camel herder sings at the beginning of the film, which is, at its heart, a moving account of the bond that can develop between human and animal.

SIFF: Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano [Lebanon]
2024-05-13 21:00 - 22:30 | AMC Pacific Place, 600 Pine St suite 400, Seattle, WA, 98101, United States

SIFF: The Burdened (Yemen)
2024-05-14 13:30 - 15:30 | SIFF Egyptian, 805 E Pine St, Seattle, WA, 98122

SIFF: Voy! Voy! Voy! [Egypt]
2024-05-14 13:30 - 15:30 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N,, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States

SIFF: The Mother of All Lies (Morocco)
2024-05-14 21:00 - 23:00 | AMC Pacific Place, 600 Pine St suite 400, Seattle, WA, 98101, United States
How do you reconstruct the past when all traces of that past have been erased? This is the dilemma that confronts filmmaker Asmae El Moudir, in terms of both her personal history and the history of her country. In terms of her personal history, her tyrannical grandmother has forbidden the taking of photographs in the family, seemingly as part of a larger obfuscation of the past. In the absence of photographs, El Moudir enlists her father, a successful builder, to help her construct an elaborate diorama of the street where the family lived during her childhood, in the Sebata district of Casablanca. She populates the diorama with miniature clay figurines of her family, friends, and neighbors. Their real-life counterparts are then invited to revisit their memories of that time and place—in particular the 1981 Casablanca Bread Riots, protests over the price of bread that were brutally suppressed by the police and military. On El Moudir’s street alone, a girl her age named Fatima was killed in the street; neighbors Saïd and Abdallah were seized and tortured. These events have been suppressed in El Moudir’s family history, as well as in the national history. But El Moudir recreates them, retrieving what might otherwise be lost; bringing family secrets and memories to light, and achieving some measure of justice, if only in miniature.

AANM: Arab Film Festival
2024-05-15 - 2024-05-19 | Virtual
SAVE THE DATE : AANM’s Arab Film Festival is just around the corner!
May 15-19, 2024
AANM proudly hosts the annual Arab Film Festival (AFF) featuring the best of critically acclaimed and award-winning Arab American and Arab world films, many of which are unlikely to reach traditional American commercial theaters.
This year’s festival will include special events like an artist workshop, a filmmakers mixer and a concert with special guests! Stay tuned for more info…

SIFF: The Mother of All Lies [Morocco]
2024-05-16 12:30 - 14:30 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N,, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States

SIFF: After the Fire (North African in France)
2024-05-16 12:45 - 14:45 | SIFF Cinema Downtown, 2100 4th Ave, Seattle, WA, 98121
As an immigrant family mourns the death of one of their own at the hands of Strasbourg’s brutal police force, they decide to take on the justice system that helped to cover it up in this rousing political thriller from Mehdi Fikri.

SIFF: Three Promises [Palestine]
2024-05-17 14:30 - 16:30, 2024-05-18 17:30 - 19:30 | SIFF Film Center, 305 Harrison St, Seattle, 98109
In the early 2000s, when the Israeli army was retaliating against the Second Intifada in the West Bank in Palestine, Suha filmed the experience from the hillside town of Beit Jala, where she lived with her family. Two decades later, her son has edited that footage and interwoven it with present-day conversations with his mother about what that period was like. The result provides a remarkable insight into daily life during wartime—the uncertainty, the upheaval, the terror—which families in Gaza are experiencing today. Suha and her husband try to gauge the distance of the attacks in order to calculate the degree of threat. Is it time to go down to the basement, or is it still okay to remain upstairs? Will the children be safer against the wall or in the corner? At the moments of greatest danger, Suha promises God that, if they survive, they will leave—they are fortunate enough to be able to do so. But leaving feels almost as impossible as staying, a choice between emotional anguish (not to mention the logistical ordeal) and physical jeopardy. In this way, the film is also an exploration of the topic of forced migration, another aspect of the Palestinian experience that is still with us in the present.
