Reel Palestine will run from January 27 to February 5, 2023, at Cinema Akil.
Cinema Akil, the independent cinema in the GCC, is set to host Reel Palestine as the film festival comes back for its ninth edition.
Presented by Bayt and in partnership with Advanced Media and Wamda, the festival will take place over a span of 10 days from January 27 to February 5.
Reel Palestine is a volunteer-based, community initiative that celebrates the best of Palestinian Arts and Films. A combination of award-winning and up-and-coming filmmakers from Palestine will be showcasing their work through multiple genres and formats to shine a light on Palestinians’ rich heritage for audiences in the UAE. For the first time ever, the festival’s pioneering edition will focus on classics through a tribute to Michel Khleifi, the Palestinian film writer, director and producer behind cinematic masterpieces such as Wedding In Galilee, Tale Of The Three Jewels, and Fertile Memory. The ninth edition of Reel Palestine, returning with its widespread offering of films, cultural souk and workshops is presented by Bayt and being hosted at Cinema Akil.
Starting on January 27, the festival programme will open with Maha Haj’s Mediterranean Fever and screen Palestinian features and shorts including Wisam Al-Jafari’s By the Sea, Jumana Manna’s Foragers, Farah Abou Kharroub’s Seven Villages, Firas Khoury’s Alam, as well as Nicola Zambelli’s documentary Sarura that uses archival material more than 15 years old. Select films will be screened in the presence of their directors and protagonists, giving the audience an opportunity to meet with the creators and also engage in insightful Q&As.
The journey of Reel Palestine starts with Maha Haj’s dramedy Mediterranean Fever, followed by Michel Khleifi’s legendary Wedding In Galilee. Other masterpieces of his cinematic legacy will be showcased at Reel Palestine including his feature debut, Fertile Memory as well as the noteworthy, Tale Of The Three Jewels to give UAE film lovers a peek into the first feature film, ever to be shot entirely in the Gaza Strip. The festival then takes a dive into the shorts programme, Palestinian Quotidien to showcase short films such as Wisam Al-Jafari’s By The Sea, Mohammad Rasheed Mansour’s Bantustan, and Ward Kayyal’s Hamza: Chasing The Ghost Chasing Me. The showcase of Jumana Manna’s Foragers, transporting the audience to the historic land of the Golan Heights, Galilee and Jerusalem, moves between action, documentary and archival footage to depict the drama around the practice of foraging in the region. The shorts film programme, Remembrance will depict works of six Palestinian directors and will be celebrating genres across documentaries, experiential, animation, and drama alongside the screenings of the region’s other sensational cinematic works such as Firas Khoury’s Alam and Nicola Zambelli’s Sarura.
Since the launch of the film festival in 2015, Reel Palestine has been known for amplifying the exposure of award-winning films like Ameen Nayfeh’s 200 Metres, which won the BNL People’s Choice Award at the Venice Film Festival. The film festival is also known for empowering Palestinian-run businesses through its diverse offering of films and events in music, photography, workshops and talks. A souk housing homegrown brands will also be returning during the ninth edition and include businesses like Ayadi by Widad, Exhale, Fyrouzi and more. Exhibiting Palestinian crafts, books, fashion, spices, food and more, homegrown businesses have been welcomed to add to the glory of the cultural film festival. The souk will be open to visitors on both weekends, specifically on January 28 and 29 and February 4 and 5. Adding in a culinary mix of live food and beverage stalls, homegrown businesses like Nablus Knafe, The Broth Lab and YAVA will also be available on February 4 and 5.
Speaking about the ninth edition of Reel Palestine, Cinema Akil said: “We are honoured to once again bring Palestinian stories to the region of UAE and give our audiences a deep dive into its untold tales in an artistic form of cinema. The love that the UAE has for films is only magnified by the labour of love that drives our community-driven festival to share stories through a cinematic lens. With a lineup of talent and filmmakers coming to Dubai for Reel Palestine, the program showcases 7 feature films, 11 shorts whilst highlighting the works of 18 directors from across the wider Palestinian diaspora. We are proud to dedicate our platform to narrate Palestine’s unspoken stories through cinema and do our bit in giving international exposure to regional films, here in the multicultural land of the UAE. Just like every year, the stories depicted in this edition of Reel Palestine will be sure to touch hearts and reinforce the unity of Dubai’s diverse cultural heritage that traverses geographic and cultural boundaries. We’d like to thank the entire community for bringing this memorable festival back for its 9th edition with special thanks to our partners, Advanced Media and Wamda.”
A spokesperson of Reel Palestine added: “Reel Palestine, in addition to hosting and screening innovative works of powerful Palestinian artists, has been designed to exemplify the heartwarming stories of the Palestinian diaspora and narrate their unfiltered emotions through a creative film direction that ranges across documentaries, features and shorts. We hope to spark conversation amongst the UAE audience and encourage healthy discussion, all of which will be made possible with the presence of creators at their respective screenings.”
