Film festival director Pascale Fakhry states, "We've consistently connected in our movie theaters"
ALFILM Festival Returns for Another Year of Celebrating Arab Cinema
The ALFILM Festival, a celebration of Arab cinema in Berlin, is set to return for its 13th edition from April 24 to 30. Founded in 2009 by Fadi Abdelnour, Issam Haddad, and Claudia Jubeh, the festival has remained a beacon for Arab voices in the cinematic world.
The festival's origins trace back to Madrid, where Giulio Vita, a film student, and Sara Fratini, a visual arts student, joined forces with two members of the Spanish film collective El tornillo de Klaus, Pablo Cristóbal and Alicia Victoria Palacios Thomas. The group aimed to bring a focus on Palestinian cinema to the forefront of discussions.
The festival's structure and concept have remained the same since its inception, despite changes in the Arabic film landscape and increased funding. It is divided into two main sections: 'Selection' and 'Spotlight'. 'Selection' features contemporary films that are no more than two years old, while 'Spotlight' is a thematic section that addresses the most important topics of the moment.
This year, the 'Spotlight' focus is on Palestine in cinema. The festival will delve into the influence of Palestine on the history of cinema and explore academic discussions on Palestinian cinema through a screening of Costa-Gavras' film Hanna K. [1983] and the Palestinian 'Spotlight', which will investigate these topics further.
The festival will also screen My Lost Country [2022], a documentary from Iraq about a second-generation Chilean's relationship with her countries, and The Burdened [2023], a film from Yemen by Amr Gamal. Another highlight of the festival is the opening film, Bye Bye Tiberias [2023] by Lina Soualem.
Under the leadership of Pascale Fakhry, who joined the festival in 2008 and became the director in 2022, the festival's thematic programming has tackled important topics in the Arab world, cinema, and beyond. Fakhry took the reins as the festival's artistic director in 2020.
The festival encourages peaceful and constructive discussions between its Arab and German audiences and has historically provided a platform for Arab filmmakers to tell their stories from their own perspective. With a new generation of Arab filmmakers emerging in Berlin, many of whom are studying and starting their careers in the city, the ALFILM Festival continues to play a crucial role in showcasing their work.
For more information about the ALFILM Festival, visit alfilm.berlin.
