Cinema of Palestine is relatively young in comparison to
Arab cinema
Arab cinema or Arabic cinema ( ar, السينما العربية, al-sīnemā al-ʿArabīyah) refers to the film industry of the Arab world which depends for most of its production on the Egyptian cinema.
Overview
There is no single descrip ...
as a whole. Palestinian films are not exclusively produced in
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
and some are even produced in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and
French.
Elia Suleiman
Elia Suleiman ( ar, إيليا سليمان, ; born 28 July 1960) is a Palestinian film director and actor of Rûm Greek Orthodox origin. He is best known for the 2002 film ''Divine Intervention'' ( ar, يد إلهية), a modern tragic comedy on ...
has emerged as one of the most notable working Palestinian directors.
History
The first period: The beginning, 1935–48
The first Palestinian film to be made is generally believed to be a documentary on King
Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia
Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud ( ar, عبد العزيز بن عبد الرحمن آل سعود, ʿAbd al ʿAzīz bin ʿAbd ar Raḥman Āl Suʿūd; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted ...
's visit in 1935 to
Palestine, made by Ibrahim Hassan Sirhan (or Serhan), based in
Jaffa.
[Gertz and Khleifi, p. 13] Sirhan followed the King and around Palestine, "from
Lod to
Jaffa and from Jaffa to
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...
". The result was a
silent movie that was presented at the
Nabi Rubin festival
Al-Nabi Rubin ( ar, النبي روبين, transliteration: ''an-Nabî Rûbîn'') was a Palestinian people, Palestinian village in central Palestine (region), Palestine region, what is now Israel, located west of Ramla, Already this year, 1495, ...
s. Following this documentary, Sirhan joined Jamal al-Asphar to produce a 45-minute film called ''The Realized Dreams'', aiming to "promote the orphans' cause". Sirhan and al-Asphar also produced a documentary about
Ahmad Hilmi Pasha, a member of the
Higher Arab Commission.
In 1945 Sirhan established the Arab Film Company with Ahmad Hilmi al-Kilani. The company launched the feature film ''Holiday Eve'', which was followed by preparations for the next film ''A Storm at Home''. The films themselves were lost in 1948, when Sirhan had to flee Jaffa after the town was bombarded.
The second period: The epoch of silence, 1948–67
The
1948 Palestinian exodus
In 1948 more than 700,000 Palestinian Arabs – about half of prewar Palestine's Arab population – were expelled or fled from their homes, during the 1948 Palestine war. The exodus was a central component of the fracturing, dispossessi ...
(known in Arabic as the
Nakba
Clickable map of Mandatory Palestine with the depopulated locations during the 1947–1949 Palestine war.
The Nakba ( ar, النكبة, translit=an-Nakbah, lit=the "disaster", "catastrophe", or "cataclysm"), also known as the Palestinian Ca ...
) had a devastating effect on Palestinian society, including its nascent film industry. Cinematic endeavours, requiring infrastructure, professional crews, and finance, nearly ceased for two decades. Individual Palestinian participated in the film-production of neighbouring countries. It is reported that Sirhan was involved with the production of the first Jordanian feature film, ''The Struggle in Jarash'' (1957), and another Palestinian, Abdallah Ka'wash, directed the second Jordanian feature film, ''My Homeland, My Love'', in 1964.
The third period: Cinema in exile, 1968–82
After 1967, Palestinian cinema found itself under the auspices of the
PLO, funded by
Fatah and other Palestinian organisations like
PFLP
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine ( ar, الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين, translit=al-Jabhah al-Sha`biyyah li-Taḥrīr Filasṭīn, PFLP) is a secular Palestinian Marxist–Leninist and revolutionary so ...
and
DFLP
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP; ar, الجبهة الديموقراطية لتحرير فلسطين, ''al-Jabha al-Dīmūqrāṭiyya li-Taḥrīr Filasṭīn'') is a secular Palestinian people, Palestinian Marxism ...
. More than 60 films were made in this period, mostly documentaries. The first film festival dedicated to Palestinian films was held in
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...
in 1973, and Baghdad also hosted the next two Palestinian film festivals, in 1976 and 1980.
Mustafa Abu Ali was one of the early Palestinian film directors, and he helped found the Palestinian Cinema Association in
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
in 1973. Only one dramatic movie was made during the period, namely ''Return to Haifa'' in 1982, an adaptation of a short novel by
Ghassan Kanafani
Ghassan Kanafani ( ar, غسان كنفاني, 8 April 1936 – 8 July 1972) was a Palestinian author and a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). On 8 July 1972 ...
.
The film archives disappearance, 1982
Different organisations set up archives for Palestinian films. The largest such archive was run by PLO's Film Foundation/Palestinian Film Unit. In 1982, when the PLO was forced out of
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
, the archive was put into storage (in the Red Crescenty Hospital), from where it "disappeared" under circumstances which are still unclear. Recently, several films from the archive were located in the
Israel Defense Forces Archive in
Tel HaShomer
Tel HaShomer ( he, תֵּל הַשּׁוֹמֵר, ''lit.'' Hill of the Guardsman) or Kiryat Krinitzi is a neighborhood in Ramat Gan, Israel. It is bordered to the north by Kiryat Ono, to the east by Yehud, and to the south by Or Yehuda. A major ...
by scholar and curator Rona Sela. Sela has called for the release of these films, and for the declassification of other Palestinian films that remain closed in the IDF Archive.
The fourth period: The return home, from 1980 to the present
The 1996
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
/
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
''
Chronicle of a Disappearance'' received international critical acclaim, and it became the first Palestinian movie to receive national release in the United States. A break-out film for its genre, it won a New Director's Prize at the
Seattle International Film Festival
The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. The SIFF runs for more th ...
and a
Luigi De Laurentiis Award at the
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...
. Notable film directors of this period include
Michel Khleifi,
Rashid Masharawi,
Ali Nassar and
Elia Suleiman
Elia Suleiman ( ar, إيليا سليمان, ; born 28 July 1960) is a Palestinian film director and actor of Rûm Greek Orthodox origin. He is best known for the 2002 film ''Divine Intervention'' ( ar, يد إلهية), a modern tragic comedy on ...
.
An international effort was launched in 2008 to reopen
Cinema Jenin
Cinema Jenin is a movie theater in the Palestinian city of Jenin, located in the West Bank.
The new building features plush seating that can accommodate more than 300 people, an outdoor café, art gallery space, a children's park and playground ...
, a cinema located in the
Jenin Refugee Camp.
In 2008, three Palestinian feature films and an estimated eight shorts were completed, more than ever before.
In 2010,
Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam ...
, the governing authority in the
Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...
, announced the completion of a new film. Titled ''The Great Liberation'', the film depicts the destruction of Israel by Palestinians.
Currently in the Gaza Strip, all film projects must be approved by Hamas' Culture Ministry before they can be screened in public. Independent filmmakers have claimed that the Culture Ministry cracks down on content not conforming to Hamas edicts. In a notable 2010 case, Hamas banned the short film ''Something Sweet'', directed by Khalil al-Muzzayen, which was submitted at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
. Hamas banned it from being shown locally due to a four-second scene where a woman is shown with her hair uncovered. In 2011, a film festival hosted by the Gaza Women's Affairs Center included documentaries and fictional pieces on women's issues, but the Culture Ministry censored numerous scenes. One film had to remove a scene where a woman lowered one shoulder of her dress, and another had to remove a scene of a man swearing.
Notable directors
*
Yahya Barakat
*
Azza El-Hassan
*
Hany Abu-Assad
Hany Abu-Assad ( ar, هاني أبو أسعد; born 11 October 1961) is a Palestinian-Dutch film director. He has received two Academy Award nominations: in 2006 for his film ''Paradise Now'', and again in 2013 for his film ''Omar''.
Early life ...
*
Mohammed Almughanni
*
Mahdi Fleifel
*
Scandar Copti
*
Mustafa Abu Ali
*
Mohammed Bakri
Mohammad Bakri (born 1953; ar, محمد بكري, he, מוחמד בכרי) is a Palestinian actor and film director.[Tarek Al Eryan
* ](_blank)Annemarie Jacir
Annemarie Jacir ( ar, آن ماري جاسر) is a Palestinian filmmaker, writer, and producer.
Career Filmmaker
She has been working in independent cinema since 1998 and has written, directed and produced a number of award-winning films. Two o ...
* Michel Khleifi
* Rashid Masharawi
* Mai Masri
* Montaser Marai
* Rosalind Nashashibi
Layla Rosalind Nashashibi (born 1973) is a Palestinian-English artist based in London. Nashashibi works mainly with 16 mm film but also makes paintings and prints. Her work often deals with everyday observations merged with mythological elemen ...
* Ali Nassar
* Mohammad Al-Sawalma
* Hazim Bitar Hazem (also spelled Hazm or Hazim, ar, حازم) is both a given name and a surname of Arabic origin. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
*Hazem El Beblawi, Egyptian economist and politician
*Hazim Delić, Bosniak Deputy Commander of ...
* Elia Suleiman
Elia Suleiman ( ar, إيليا سليمان, ; born 28 July 1960) is a Palestinian film director and actor of Rûm Greek Orthodox origin. He is best known for the 2002 film ''Divine Intervention'' ( ar, يد إلهية), a modern tragic comedy on ...
* Leila Sansour
Leila Sansour ( ar, ليلى صنصور) is the founder and chief executive officer of Open Bethlehem, a non-governmental foundation established to promote and protect the life and heritage of the city of Bethlehem. Sansour developed the Bethlehe ...
* Refat Adi Refat is a unisex given name borne by:
* Refat Amin (born 1953), Bangladesh politician, Member of the Bangladesh Parliament (2014–2018)
* Refat Appazov
Refat Fazylovich Appazov ( crh, Refat Fazıl oğlu Appazov, russian: Рефат Фазыл ...
* Sameh Zoabi
Sameh Zoabi is a Palestinian Israeli film writer and director best known for his 2019 film '' Tel Aviv on Fire''.
Childhood and education
Zoabi grew up in Iksal, a village near Nazareth, Israel. His father is a farmer. He studied at Tel Aviv U ...
* Tawfik Abu Wael
* Ameen Nayfeh
* Mohammad Shihadeh Hmedat
* Najwa Najjar
Najwa Najjar ( ar, نجوى نجار) is a film writer and director. She was born to a Jordanian father and Palestinian mother. She began her career making commercials and has worked in both documentary and fiction since 1999.
Her debut feature ...
* Hisham Zreiq
Notable films
* '' A World Not Ours'
Alam laysa lana
* '' They Don't Exist'
Coming Home: Palestinian Cinema
* '' Wedding in Galilee'' (1987) ( International Critics Prize, Cannes),
* '' Tale of the Three Jewels'' (1994)
* '' Chronicle of a Disappearance'' (1996) (“Luigi De Laurentiis” Award for a Debut Film at the 1996 Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...
)
* ''Divine Intervention
Divine intervention is an event that occurs when a deity (i.e. God or a god) becomes actively involved in changing some situation in human affairs. In contrast to other kinds of divine action, the expression "divine ''intervention''" implies that ...
'' (2002).
* '' Olive Harvest, The'' (2003)
* '' Arna's Children'' (2003)
* '' Jeremy Hardy vs. the Israeli Army'' (2004)
* Women in Struggle (2004)
* ''Waiting'' (2005)
* ''Paradise Now
''Paradise Now'' ( ar, الجنّة الآن, al-Janna al-ʾāna) is a political and psychological drama film directed by Hany Abu-Assad about two Palestinian men preparing for a suicide attack in Israel. It won the Golden Globe Award for Best ...
'' (2006) ( Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film winner)
* ''The Color of Olives
''The Color of Olives'' ( ar, لون الزيتون, ) is a 2006 political documentary film, distributed by Arab Film Distribution, produced by Daoud Sarhandi and directed by Carolina Rivas. It depicts the Palestinian family, the Amers, living ...
'' (2006)
* '' Iron Wall'' (2006)
* ''Goal Dreams
A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines.
A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ai ...
'' (2006)
* '' First Picture'' (2006)
* ''The Sons of Eilaboun
''The Sons of Eilaboun'' ( ar, أبناء عيلبون) is a 2007 documentary film by Palestinian artist and film maker Hisham Zreiq (Zrake), that tells the story of the Eilabun massacre, which was committed by the Israeli army during Operation Hi ...
'' (2007)
* Maria's Grotto (2007) (Silver Muhr Award, Dubai International Film Festival
The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF, ar, مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي) is the leading film festival in the Arab region. The 12th edition of DIFF took place from December 9 – 16, 2015. In 2018, the DIFF announc ...
)
* Kaffa! (2007) (Silver Award for Short Film, Cairo International TV and Media Festival)(Gold Award for Best Script, )
* '' Salt of this Sea'' (2008)
* Taste the Revolution (2008)
* The View (2008) (Best Short Film ($75,000), Middle East International Film Festival)
* Till When? (2008) (Officially selected in Cergy Pontoise Film Festival in Paris, Honorable Mention in Digicon 6 Festival in Tokyo)
* Spider Web (2009)
* Beyond the Sun (2010) (Audience Choice, Bagdad International Film Festival)
*cup final (1991) takes place during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
* The Uppercut (2012) A Short Documentary Shot in Jordan Telling a Story of a Slum Kickboxing Club
* Solomon's Stone (film) (2015)
Notable film festivals
A
* Al Ard Film Festival (Cagliari, Sardinia)
B
Mostra de Cinema Àrab i Mediterrani de Catalunya (Arab and Mediterranean Film Festival of Catalonia) – Barcelona
* Boston Palestine Film Festival
*Muestra de Cine Palestino de Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires Palestine Film Festival)
C
* Chicago Palestine Film Festival
D
* DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival
H
Houston Palestine Film Festival
K
The Palestinian Film Festival - Kuwait
L
London Palestine Film Festival
M
Muestra de Cine Palestino de Madrid (Madrid Palestine Film Festival)
Mizna's Twin Cities Arab Film Festival
Festival Cinéma Méditerranéen Montpellier (Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival)
R
Al-Kasaba International Film Festival
in Ramallah, West Bank
The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
S
*Muestra de Cine Palestino de Santiago (Santiago Palestine Film Festival)
*Muestra de Cine Palestino de Sevilla (Sevilla Palestine Film Festival)
T
Toronto Palestine Film Festival
See also
* Cinema City Nablus
Cinema City Nablus was a movie theater in the Palestinian territories, Palestinian city of Nablus, located in the West Bank.
* Al-Kasaba Theatre
Al-Kasaba Theatre and Cinematheque ( ar, القصبة مسرح وسينماتك) is a cinema in the city of Ramallah, West Bank, Palestine. It was established in 1970 during Israeli occupation for playwrights and eventually began presenting fil ...
* Cinema Jenin
Cinema Jenin is a movie theater in the Palestinian city of Jenin, located in the West Bank.
The new building features plush seating that can accommodate more than 300 people, an outdoor café, art gallery space, a children's park and playground ...
References
Further reading
*Rapfogel, Jared
A Report of Dreams of a Nation - A Palestinian Film Festival
January 24–27, 2003, Senses of Cinema.
Palestinian film festival planned
18 May 2004, BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
*
Dabashi, HamidFor a Fistful of Dust: A Passage to Palestine 23–29 September 2004,
Al-AhramFilmJan. 14, 2006, IMEU,
* Kemp, Rebecca
“Interviews with Palestinian Filmmakers” 6 Degrees Film, Fall 2006
* Rastegar, Kamran, "Palestine Only Exists in Cinema", Bidoun Magazine, Issue 8, Vol. 1, Fall 2006
*
*
Annemarie Jacir
Annemarie Jacir ( ar, آن ماري جاسر) is a Palestinian filmmaker, writer, and producer.
Career Filmmaker
She has been working in independent cinema since 1998 and has written, directed and produced a number of award-winning films. Two o ...
Coming Home: Palestinian Cinema 27 February 2007,
The Electronic Intifada
''The Electronic Intifada'' (''EI'') is an online Chicago-based publication covering the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. It describes itself as not-for-profit, independent, and providing a Palestinian perspective.
History
''EI'' was founded in ...
*Khaled Elayya
A Brief History of Palestinian Cinema This week in Palestine
*Khadija Habshneh
Palestinian Revolution Cinema, This week in Palestine
*Nana Asfour: Reclaiming Palestine, One Film at a Time,
Cineaste Magazine, Vol. XXXIV, No. 3, Summer 2009
*Nana Asfour
Cineaste Magazine - Articles - The Time That Remains and Zindeeq (Web Exclusive)The Time That Remains and Zindeeq, Cineaste Magazine, Web Exclusive, Copyright © 2011 by Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
External links
Dreams of a Nation an independent project founded to provide resources and information on Palestinian cinema. Based at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, United States.
Palestinian Film: News and Reviews at IMEU.netReview of a film that explores the story of the lost archives of the PLO film unitHistory and Trends in Palestinian FilmmakingFinding aid to the Palestinian Films Collection, 1976-2008, at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Literature
*
Dabashi, Hamid, and
Said, Edward
Edward Wadie Said (; , ; 1 November 1935 – 24 September 2003) was a Palestinian-American professor of literature at Columbia University, a public intellectual, and a founder of the academic field of postcolonial studies.Robert Young, ''Whit ...
(preface) (2006): ''Dreams Of A Nation: On Palestinian Cinema'', Verso Books, London, United Kingdom,
*
Gertz, Nurith; Khleifi, George (2008):
Palestinian Cinema: Landscape, Trauma, and Memory'' Indiana University Press.
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