Our next film series will begin on February 20th with the academy award nominated film 5 Broken Cameras.
Look for more information on this event soon!!
With that in mind, here is a short recap of our last film festival to give a feel for the films we screen.
Slingshot Hip Hop tells the story of a few young Palestinians who have turned to hip-hop and rap as a form of non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation of their homeland. From internal checkpoints and Separation Walls to gender norms and generational differences, this is the story of young people crossing the borders that separate them. Through their music these young Palestinians are able to give voice to their frustrations, their sadness, their anger towards the occupation and the seemingly insurmountable obstacles it creates in their lives. Captivating, heartrending, and perfect for a youth audience.
Salt of This Sea is a politically and emotionally captivating film about Soraya, an American born woman who travels from Brooklyn to Palestine to see the land her Palestinian ancestors were ejected from 60 years ago. After arriving in Palestine and realizing that her hope of returning to those ancestral lands was highly idealistic, Soraya and her new found companion, Emad, embark on a journey into the past and an exploration of an uncertain, and ultimately unlikely future. “They won’t give us the ‘Right of Return’, so I took it.” Beautifully filmed and an enthralling story.
“Budrus is an award-winning feature documentary film about a Palestinian community organizer, Ayed Morrar, who unites local Fatah and Hamas members along with Israeli supporters in an unarmed movement to save his village of Budrus from destruction by Israel’s Separation Barrier. Success eludes them until his 15-year-old daughter, Iltezam, launches a women’s contingent that quickly moves to the front lines. Struggling side by side, father and daughter unleash an inspiring, yet little-known, movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories that is still gaining ground today. In an action-filled documentary chronicling this movement from its infancy, Budrus shines a light on people who choose nonviolence to confront a threat” (official Budrus website).
Until When… is a documentary set during the second intifada and it tells the story of four Palestinian families living in the Dheisheh Refugee Camp near Bethlehem. “Fadi is 13 and cares for his 4 younger brothers, the Hammashes are a close-knit family who pass on the lessons of life with humor and passion, Sana is a single woman who endures long commutes to do community work, and Emad and Hanan are a young couple trying to shield their daughter from the harsh realities of the occupation. They talk about their past and discuss the future with humor, sorrow, frustration and hope. Until When paints an intimate in-depth portrait of Palestinian lives today” (IMDb.com).
