The series, which will run on November 2-9, amplifies the voices of Palestinian filmmakers to counter targeted censorship and misrepresentation, and creates the space for understanding, empathy, and shared humanity.
The series will kick off Thursday with a free public screening of Elia Suleiman’s *The Time That Remains* at 8pm at Katara Building 16.
This screening is presented in partnership with Filmlab Palestine as part of a global activation of their “Palestine Cinema Days” Festival, in observation of the sombre anniversary of the Balfour Declaration on that day in 1917 that led to the upheaval of Palestinian lives.
This will be followed by a week-long free public programme of eight Palestinian films at Katara Building 16, Drama Theatre.
Films will screen on a first-registered, first seating basis and include question and answer sessions with the directors. To register for the free screenings, please visit: www.dohafilminstitute.com
In a press statement, DFI chief executive Fatma Hassan Alremaihi said: “As the human conscience of the world continues to be shocked by the suffering of the Palestinian people, we stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Palestine.”
“In this most challenging time when their voices are being distorted and censored, we believe that fair representation of their narratives is crucial,” she said. “’Voices from Palestine’ presents the stories, the struggles, and the indomitable spirit of the Palestinian people through the lens of their own filmmakers.”
“These are more than stories – they are a cry for justice, a call for acknowledgement, and a means to preserve the narratives of a people struggling to survive the unspeakable,” Alremaihi added.
“Since its inception, the DFI has championed voices from underrepresented communities around the world to balance narratives in the world of storytelling,” she said. “Amplifying Palestinian voices has always been central to our work and we remain committed to their authentic representation and the accurate portrayal of their experiences and humanity.”
“There is gross injustice of incredible proportions, and we must continue to act as a catalyst for their unfiltered stories to be heard, recognised and respected,” Alremaihi stressed. “Now is the time for us to stand together in solidarity as a community united for justice, peace and humanity, in unwavering support of a free Palestine.”
'The Time That Remains' (France, Belgium, Palestine, UK/2009) by acclaimed filmmaker Suleiman is a four-episode semi-autobiographical film about his own family, from 1948 until recent times.
Fuad, a gunsmith, witnesses the destruction in Nazareth after the Israeli takeover in 1948. Years later, his son Elia grows up defiant of the Israeli occupation and has trouble accepting the change.
The other films being screened as part of the programme are:
- My Love Awaits Me by the Sea (Jordan, Palestine, Qatar, Lebanon, Germany/2013): a poetic documentary that narrates the story of its director, Mais Darwazah, who takes a first-time journey to her homeland of Palestine. It will screen on November 3 at 4pm.
- Divine Intervention (France, Palestine/2002) by Elia Suleiman, set in Nazareth, where under the guise of banal normalcy, the town embraces folly. The screening is on November 3 at 8pm.
- 3000 Nights (Palestine, France, Jordan, Lebanon, UAE, Qatar/2015) by Mai Masri is about Layal, who is falsely accused, arrested, interrogated, and incarcerated in an Israeli jail. It will screen on November 4 at 4pm.
- The Roof (Palestine, Germany/2006) by Kamal Aljafari is a portrait of Aljafari’s family in Ramleh and Jaffa that hovers between documentary and cinematic memoir, guided by a nimble camera moving calmly but ceaselessly around the rooms of homes inhabited, damaged and ruined. It will be screened on November 4 at 8pm.
- Dégradé (Palestine, France, Qatar/2015) by Arab Nasser and Tarzan Nasser is set on a hot summer's day in the Gaza Strip. The screening is on November 5 at 7pm.
- Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege (Lebanon, France, Qatar/2021) is a feature documentary by Abdallah Al-Khatib, who was born in Yarmouk, which sheltered the largest Palestinian refugee camp in the world from 1957 to 2018. The film will be screened on November 6 at 7pm.
- 200 Meters (Palestine, Jordan, Qatar, Italy, Sweden/2020) by Ameen Nayfeh is about Mustafa and his wife Salwa, who come from two Palestinian villages that are only 200m apart but separated by the wall. The film will be screened first on November 7 at 7pm and then again as an inclusive screening in partnership with TII of Hamad Bin Khalifa University and with the support of Katara Studios on November 9 at 6.30pm.
- Wajib (Palestine, France, Colombia, Germany, Norway, UAE, Qatar/2017) by Annemarie Jacir is about Shadi, who returns to his hometown to help his father hand-deliver his sister’s wedding invitations. The screening is on November 8 at 7pm.
