Sept. 26-30: DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival

The annual DC-PFAF will be inaugurated during the week of September 26-30, 2011 .The 2011 program is below.

Doors will generally open about 30-45 mins prior to start of each show and will be $10/person or $7 for students/seniors. Full festival passes cost $35 or $30 for students/seniors. Exceptions include events taking place at George Mason University where entrance is free and at Bloombars where it is a suggested donation. We will try to make DC-PFAF passes available online but tickets and passes will be sold at the doors of every event. See you there!

This is My Picture When I was Dead by Mahmoud Al Massad

When: Mon, September 26, 7pm – 9pm
Where: Landmark E Street Cinema, 555 11th Street NW, Washington, DC (map)
Tickets: $10 regular; $7 students/seniors

Description:

This is My Picture When I was Dead by Mahmoud Al Massad
Documentary | 83 min | 2010

Athens 1983. It is reported that four year old Bashir Mraish was killed in the brutal assassination of his father, a top PLO lieutenant. What if this is not the end of his journey? Twenty-five years later this surreal film explores the life of Mraish – as a political cartoonist in Jordan digging deeper into his father’s struggle for the Palestinian Right of Return, and the sequence of events that led to his assassination. This experimental documentary pushes the boundaries of its genre to tell a very personal story of Mraish and his father and the political struggles of the Palestinian people.

Kingdom of Women by Dahna Abourahme and From Palestine with Love & Samia by Mahasen Nasr Eldien

When: Tue, September 27, 7pm – 9pm
Where: Bloombars, 3222 11th Street NW Washington, DC (map)
Tickets: Suggested donation of $10 regular; $7 students/seniors

Description:
://www.bloombars.com/garden-of-the-arts/film-digital-arts/927-bloomscreen-presents-dc-palestine-film-festival

Kingdom of Women: Ein el Hilweh by Dahna Abourahme, Documentary | 54 min | 2010

Documenting an important chapter in the history of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, this film tells the story of the women of Ein El Hilweh refugee camp, who organized and provided for themselves and their families after Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon left the camp destroyed and its men imprisoned. Using oral histories about daily life, and evocative animation, the documentary focuses on seven of these women and how they contribute to their community’s survival.

From Palestine with Love by Mahasen Nasser-Eldin, Documentary | 25 min | 2010

Maya is 22 years old, is a dancer, lives in the occupied Palestinian territories and is planning a life with her Swedish boyfriend in Stockholm, where she wants to study at the university. But the road from dream to reality is filled with obstacles for the couple – in the shape of the expectations of her family and the Swedish bureaucracy. Nonetheless, there is no finger-pointing in this subtly romantic film, which succeeds with the courageous belief that things will work out if one’s heart is in the right place.

Samia by Mahasen Nasser-Eldin Short, Documentary | 14 min | 2009

Samia, 71, is still feisty, active and committed. She takes us on a journey in Jerusalem and Jericho as she travels the path of a life marked by her struggle for the right of girls to education and the right of Palestinians to live in Jerusalem. Samia has lived wars, Intifadas and times of unrest and has negotiated power with members of her society and with the Israeli occupation. Yet, she has a place in her heart for the tender memories of love.

The Time That Remains by Elia Suleiman

When: Tue, September 27, 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Where: Research I building, Room 163, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 (map)

Tickets: FREE

Description:

The Time that Remains by Elia Suleiman
Drama | 109 min | 2009

“The Time That Remains” is a semi biographic film, in four historic episodes, about a family—my family—spanning from 1948, until recent times. The film is inspired by my father’s diaries of his personal accounts, starting from when he was a resistant fighter in 1948, and by my mother’s letters to family members who were forced to leave the country since then. Combined with my intimate memories of them and with them, the film attempts to portray the daily life of those Palestinians who remained in their land and were labeled “Israeli-Arabs,” living as a minority in their own homeland.

 

A Mosaic of Palestinian Shorts

When: Wed, September 28, 7pm – 9pm
Where: Landmark E St. Cinema, 555 11th Street NW, Washington, DC (map)
Tickets: $10 regular; $7 students/seniors

Description:

Arafat and I by Mahdi Fleifel
Short | Comedy | 15 min | 2008

Marwan is a Palestinian in love. He’s finally met Lisa, the girl he’s going to marry. Everything about her is perfect – she was even born on the same day as Chairman Arafat! But does Lisa know the significance of this coincidence?

Shadi in the Beautiful Well by Mahdi Fleifel
Short| Drama | 11 min | 2003

An autistic boy, Shadi, lives in the heart of a Palestinian refugee camp where he is constantly tormented by his neighbours’ kids, who steal his white pet dove. However, an unexpected present from relatives abroad changes everything.

Chicken Heads / Roos Djaj (original title) by Bassam Jarbawi Short | Drama | Family | 15 min | 2009

After his father’s prized sheep goes missing, Yousef devises a strategy to keep the truth buried. Roos Djaj is the coming of age story that explores the fine line between taking responsibility for ones actions and lying in order to protect oneself.

Be quiet by Sameh Zoabi
Short | Drama | 19 min | 2006

What should be a simple car trip is beset by politically charged tension and a militarized reality – each of which serves as a foil to enhance the struggle of a complacent father raising a strong willed son. In Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles.

Looking for Zac by Ihab Jadallah
Short | 9 min | 2010

This is the US Premier of Looking for Zac. A car parked in Jerusalem. Three friends are looking for their buddy Zak. In a Palestinian jail, in an Israeli jail – or did he go on a suicide mission? We take off for a static journey between reality and paranoia.

Horizon by Amin Husain and Nitasha Dhillon
Short | 1:49 min | 2010

A performance-based video exploring the nature of lines and boundaries.

On the Ground by Amin Husain and Nitasha Dhillon
Short | 1:24 | 2010

A video performing an expression of physical force by one person against the other, any other, and in doing so teasing out the relevance of power and control in bringing about total destruction.

 

Diaries by May Odeh (2 screenings)

Screening 1
When: Thu, September 29, 2:30pm – 4:00pm
Where: Johnson Center Cinema, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax VA 22030 (map)
Tickets: FREE

Screening 2
When: Thu, September 29, 7pm-9pm
Where: Landmark E Street Cinema, 555 11th Street NW, Washington, DC (map)
Tickets: $10 regular; $7 students/seniors

Description:

Diaries by May Odeh
Documentary | 53 min | 2010

This is the US Premier of Diaries. Produced by Lillehammer University College, Palestine/Norway “Diaries” is a documentary from a unique perspective of three woman living in Gaza who face a double siege. One is the Israeli occupation and another one is the quasi- religious authority that controls the torn city. Through their daily life, the three girls will share their fears, memories, thoughts and hope for a better life wide enough to fit their dreams. The film will take us on a journey into their own Gaza, the Gaza that no one really knows.

 

The Art of Social Media: FouseyTube featuring Yousef Erakat, and Freedom Theatre featuring Mustafa Staiti

This event will be co-hosted by the Network of Arab-American Professionals (NAAP).

When: Fri, September 30, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Where: Busboys & Poets, 2021 14th St. NW (map)
Tickets: $10 regular; $7 students/seniors

Description:

FouseyTube featuring Yousef Erakat

FouseyTube is a youtube channel that was created by Yousef Erakat, a young Palestinian American living in the Bay area. His channel became an overnight sensation with his first viral video Middle Eastern Parents and Yousef has since kept audiences around the world entertained with his often comedic but always captivating work. Fouseytube currently has over 27,000 subscribers and over 23,000 “likes” on facebook. We like him too and are excited to feature his work and have him on stage to answer all our pressing questions on Friday Sep 30th at Busboys and Poets.

Freedom Theatre featuring Mustafa Staiti

The Freedom Theatre – a theatre and cultural centre in Jenin Refugee Camp – is developing the only professional venue for theatre and multimedia in the north of the West Bank in Occupied Palestine. Since it opened its doors in 2006, the organization continues to grow, develop and expand, enabling the young generation in the area to develop new and important skills which will allow them to build a better future for themselves and for their society. Living under occupation, as a venue for reaching global audiences, the work produced at Freedom Theater is released on a personalized Youtube channel called freedomtheatre and DC-PFAF will be featuring some of this unique work. We are extremely lucky that Mustafa Staiti, a Palestinian filmmaker and Freedom Theatre’s photography instructor and film coordinator will join our panel discussion on Friday Sep 30th.

DC-PFAF is proud to honor Freedom Theatre and Juliano Mer-Khamis, the Theatre’s founder who was killed in April 2011.