After a five-year hiatus, the Iasmaeliyyah International Film Festival for short documentary films will open on October 27 and continue until December 1, according to local newspapers.
More than 200 short documentary and narrative films and cartoons will be screened at the festival, including the Syrian film Clay Renaissance directed by Mohammed Qarseli, Jordanian films, Flowers Weddings directed by Abad Al Daoud, and One Year directed by Subhi Al Zubaidi.
The Palestinian film News Time directed by Azzah Al Hasan will be screened, in addition to the two Iranian films Circle, directed by Mohammed Sirfani, and First Lotus, directed by Ali Safora.
Also, on the schedule are the Tunisian film Khamisa, directed by Malikah Al Mihdawi, and the Lebanese films It's OK, directed by Natali Harb, and Tourib, directed by Maha Haddad.
The Egyptian films Laura Time, directed by Marian Khoury, and Palestine, 52 Years of Occupation, directed by Ahmed Abu Zaid, will also be screened.
Germany is among the foreign countries that will participate in the festival with the film Patrols Across Life, directed by Samir Naser Al Saghir, in addition to Canada, which will enter Through Singing, directed by Tahani Rashed.
France will participate with the film Cairo...Mother and Son directed by Mustafa Al Hasnawi, and Greece with the film Wrong Century directed by Sterkhios Nizis.
One of the most important sections of the festival is the one that will include films tackling the Palestinian issue as seen by foreigners and Arabs. This will be carried out on the sidelines of the festival under the banner Palestine in the Eyes of Others, and will include the screening of eight films produced by various foreign countries.
These include the Danish work All Oppressed People Are Always Right, directed by Nels Fist, which is a 45-minute documentary film.
The festival will also screen the Swedish film Gaza Ghetto, Pictures of a Palestinian Family 1948-1984, directed by Biaho Lacomfist and Pierre Purekland, the Dutch 45-minute film Goodbye Beirut directed by George Selwizar, and the English 22-minute film Intifada, the Road to Freedom directed by Sara Montgomery.
Organizers will also screen the German 22-minute film Intifada on the Way to Palestine, directed by Robert Gregg, the Dutch 34-minute film Palestine under Occupation directed by Trudy Van Quailn, the French 86-minute film Aqabet Jaber directed by Eyal Sifan, and the 54-minute Canadian film Shoot and Shout directed by Helen Claud Afsky.
The festival will honor a number of figures including Chilean director Megel Litin, Egyptian documentary film director Husam Ali and the late Dutch documentary film director Van Der Van Dirkokin, who died this January 7. The festival will send special greetings to the Palestinian photographer Talal Abu Rahmeh, who shot the most daring scene which shook the whole world, in which Palestinian child Mohammed Al Durrah was shot to death by Israeli soldiers this spring.
The festival also host Abu Rahmeh and exhibit his photos - Albawaba.com
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