From the award-winning documentary Ghost Hunting where ex-prisoners re-enact nightmarish interrogation memories, to political hip-hop feature Junction 48, and Australian documentary From Under the Rubble, the Palestinian Film Festival Australia returns this year with a program that celebrates the life, art and culture of Palestine and its people. Five documentaries, two features and five short films will screen in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth from 26 October - 19 November. Tickets to the Festival are on sale now at www.palestinianfilmfestival.com.au. “We are thrilled to present this incredible selection of films that goes behind the news headlines and celebrates the culture and community of Palestine. We want people to leave with a deeper understanding of Australian-Palestinians, their stories and journeys, and that of the global Palestinian experience more generally,” said Festival Director Naser Shakhtour. “This year’s festival falls on the same year that Palestinians remember and reflect on the 50 years since the 1967 War – the war where Israel occupied the remaining Palestinian territories of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. The memory is one of trauma and loss but also of one of strength and resilience, and the Festival program is reflective of this spirit,” added Shakhtour. Opening Night The reflective documentary, Stitching Palestine will open the Festival in each city. Stitching Palestine delves into the lives and identities of 12 high-powered Palestinian women, with the stitching of a piece of embroidery progressing as they tell their stories, linking one to another. Writer and architect Suad Amiry is one of the 12 women featured in Stitching Palestine and will attend the Festival as a guest this year. As well as having written several acclaimed books, Suad is the founder of RIWAQ, an NGO dedicated to preserving Palestinian collective memory through the restoration of architectural heritage sites in rural Palestine. Features
Documentaries
Shorts Accompanying the program will be five incredible international shorts. Highlights include: A Man Drowning which was nominated for the Palme d'Or - Best Short Film at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and In Defense of the Rocket which charts the rise and fall of the Middle East peace process in photos to the rhythms of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony. The Festival is partly funded through the Council for Australia-Arab Relations (Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade) and supported through the Australian Cultural Fund. The Palestinian Film Festival opens in Sydney (26-30 Oct), Canberra (27 Oct), Melbourne (2-5 Nov), Adelaide (10-12 Nov), Brisbane and Perth (17-19 Nov). |
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