DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival

posted on: Sep 21, 2011

The US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) of DC (USPCN-DC) is delighted to launch its full-fledged DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival (DC-PFAF) from September 26-30, 2011. This inaugural event will include feature-length films and shorts featuring a broad array of genres ranging from dramas to documentaries and comedies. The festival will also include panel discussions with filmmakers and cultural events such as music, poetry, art displays and dance.

The DC-PFAF seeks to showcase the work of Palestinian filmmakers and more generally, to promote the richness of Palestinian Arab culture through cinema, music, and other forms of visual arts. The stories that will be told in this festival are not necessarily about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, nor are they necessarily stories about Palestinians, but they are stories that reflect the dynamic formation of a transnational identity common to Palestinians and diasporic communities in general. Beyond that, this project aims to bring DC’s various communities closer together through art, and catalyze invigorating discussions about film and culture using the lens of Palestinian filmmakers as an entry point.

These films and artists include: Elia Suleiman’s “The Time that Remains,” Mahdi Fleifel’s “Shadi and the Well,” May Odeh’s “Diaries from Gaza,” and Yousef Erakat of FouseyTube.

This inaugural festival will pave the way for a yearly sustainable cultural event for USPCN-DC which will draw attention from the DC community, specifically Palestinians. The festival schedule can be found <a href=”http://dcpff.tumblr.com”>here</a>.

The US Palestinian Community Network includes members of the Palestinian community in the US who work together to empower their community, unify their voice, and affirm the right of Palestinians in the Shatat (exile) to participate fully in shaping their joint destiny.

The DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival Committee is a committee of USPCN-DC.