We’re thrilled to share our full program lineup for the 11th DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival. The festival will open with the DC Launch of Visualizing Palestine’s book, followed by three days of award-winning films, discussions, and an art workshop.

We can’t wait to bring the community together and honor Palestinian voices and artistry at such a critical time.

Schedule:

Thursday, October 24, 2024

Opening Night: Data Storytelling as Resistance with Visualizing Palestine

Join us for the opening night of the 11th DC Palestinian Film & Arts Festival and the DC book launch of Visualizing Palestine: A Chronicle of Colonialism and the Struggle for Liberation.

Jehad Abusalim of the Institute for Palestine Studies will join Aline Batraseh of Visualizing Palestine to discuss their latest book and Visualizing Palestine's work in the greater context of media/narration of Palestinian politics, history and the ongoing genocide and occupation.

Visualizing Palestine is proud to present this striking, 400-page collection of 200+ full-color infographics, reflecting over a decade of collaboration by 160+ VP contributors. Published by Haymarket, the book offers a vivid portrait of Israeli settler colonialism at a time when the urgency of the Palestinian demand for freedom and justice is undeniable.

Light fare and beverages will be provided.

Books will be on sale on opening night and throughout the festival!

Doors open at 6:30pm

Book talk starts at 7pm

Location:

The Festival Center
1640 Columbia Road NW
Washington, DC 20009

Friday, October 25, 2024

7:00 PM: From Ground Zero (DC Premiere)

Palestine's Submission for the 2025 Oscars!

From Ground Zero is a compelling project that brings together 22 short films created by talented filmmakers from Gaza. Launched by Rashid Masharawi, a renowned Palestinian filmmaker, the initiative was born against the backdrop of conflict and aims to provide a platform for young artists to express themselves through their craft.

Each film, ranging in length from 3 to 6 minutes, presents a unique perspective on the current reality in Gaza. The project captures the diverse experiences of life in the Palestinian enclave, including the challenges, tragedies and moments of resilience faced by its people. Using a mix of genres including fiction, documentary, docu-fiction, animation and experimental cinema, From Ground Zero presents a rich diversity of stories that reflect the sorrow, joy and hope inherent in Gazan life.

Despite the harsh filming conditions, Gaza's vibrant artistic scene shines through this collection, offering an intimate and powerful portrait of daily life and the enduring spirit of its people.

This screening will have a 10 minute intermission.

Location:

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library Auditorium
901 G St NW
Washington, DC 20009

Saturday, October 26, 2024

12:00 - 2:00 PM

Political Art Making: Palestinian Symbolism & Resistance

Co-facilitated by Palestinian Youth Movement DMV, DC for Palestine, MD2Palestine, and DMV Students for Justice in Palestine.

Join DCPFAF for an interactive arts workshop on Saturday October 26th at 12 pm ET to explore symbolism and political art in Palestine, the Palestinian diaspora, and social justice movements across the globe.

Participants will learn the history of Palestinian political art and symbolism as a means of resistance, and will have a chance to create their own revolutionary designs to take home or wheatpaste around DC.

Supplies are included in the ticket price.

ASL support available. All ages are welcome.

Location:
The Potter's House
1658 Columbia Rd NW,
Washington, DC 20009

Saturday, October 26, 2024

7:00 - 9:00 PM

To a Land Unknown (DC Premiere) - Co-presented by AFMI

Chatila and Reda are saving to pay for fake passports to get out of Athens. But when Reda loses their hard-earned cash to his dangerous drug addiction, Chatila hatches an extreme plan, which involves them posing as smugglers and taking hostages in an effort to get him and his best friend out of their hopeless environment before it is too late.

Official Selections and Awards

- 2024 Cannes Film Festival (Directors' Fortnight)

- 2024 Toronto International Film Festival

- 2024 San Sebastián International Film Festival

- 2024 BFI London Film Festival

- 2024 Melbourne International Film Festival

- 2024 Munich Film Festival (WINNER: CinePro Award)

- 2024 Helsinki International Film Festival - Love & Anarchy

- 2024 Sarajevo Film Festival

- 2024 Shanghai International Film Festival

- 2024 New Horizons International Film Festival

- 2024 Galway Film Fleadh

- 2024 New Zealand International Film Festival

- 2024 Cinefest Sudbury International Film Festival

- 2024 Hamptons International Film Festival

- 2024 Arab Film Festival

- 2024 Boston Palestine Film Festival

Location:
Regal Gallery Place
701 7th St NW,
Washington, DC 20001

Sunday, October 27, 2024

3:00 - 5:00 PM

Lyd (DC Premiere) + The Key (DC Premiere)

Lyd

A sci-fi documentary that follows the rise and fall of Lyd — a 5,000-year-old metropolis that was once a bustling Palestinian town until it was conquered when the State of Israel was established in 1948. As the film unfolds, a chorus of characters creates a tapestry of the Palestinian experience of this city and the trauma left by the massacre and expulsion.

Official Selections and Awards

- Amman International Film Festival 2023 – Winner of the Jury Award for Arab Feature-Length Documentary and FIPRESCI Award from the International Critics Association

- Middle East Now Festival 2023

- Yashwant International Film Festival 2024

- Reel Palestine 2024

- Melbourne Science Fiction Film Festival 2024

- Al Ard Film Festival 2024

- Sguardi Altrove International Women’s Film Festival 2024

- Palestine Film Festival in Australia 2024

- Toronto Palestine Film Festival 2024

- Boston Palestine Film Festival 2024

The Key

An Israeli family’s equilibrium gradually disintegrates as a mysterious sound is heard every evening at the door of their apartment.

Based on a short story by Anwar Hamed

Location:

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library Auditorium
901 G St NW
Washington, DC 20009

Sunday, October 27, 2024

6:00 - 8:00 PM

No Other Land (DC Premiere)

Basel Adra, a young Palestinian activist from Masafer Yatta, has been fighting his community’s mass expulsion by the Israeli occupation since childhood. Basel documents the gradual erasure of Masafer Yatta, as soldiers destroy the homes of families - the largest single act of forced transfer ever carried out in the occupied West Bank. He crosses paths with Yuval, an Israeli journalist who joins his struggle, and for over half a decade they fight against the expulsion while growing closer. Their complex bond is haunted by the extreme inequality between them: Basel, living under a brutal military occupation, and Yuval, unrestricted and free. This film, by a Palestinian-Israeli collective of four young activists, was co-created during the darkest, most terrifying times in the region, as an act of creative resistance to apartheid and a search for a path towards equality and justice.

Official Selections and Awards

- Berlinale 2024 – Winner of the Panorama Audience Award for Best Documentary

- Encounters South African International Documentary Festival – Winner of the Al Jazeera Award for Best International Documentary

- CPH:DOX – Winner of the Audience Award

- Visions du Réel International Film Festival Nyon – Winner of the Audience Award in the Grand Angle Competition

- Sheffield International Documentary Festival - Winner of the Tim Hetherington Award

- Belfast Film Festival – Winner of the Maysles Brothers Award for Feature Documentary

- IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival – Winner of the Audience Award for Best Feature Film

- Millennium Docs Against Gravity – Winner of the Grand Prix Bank Millennium Award for Best Film, the Bydgoszcz ART.DOC Award and the Audience Award

- ZagrebDox – Winner of the Audience Award

- Human International Documentary Film Festival – Winner of the The International Human Rights Human Wrongs Film Award, International Competititon

- MDOC - Melgaço International Documentary Film Festival – Winner of the Don Quijote Award for Best International Feature Length Film

- Boston Palestine Film Festival 2024

Location:

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library Auditorium
901 G St NW
Washington, DC 20009

Buy Tickets

Date: October 24 - 27, 2024

Locations:

Various Venues in Washington, DC

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