Abdallah Al-Khatib

Abdallah Al-Khatib
عبد الله الخطيب
Al-Khatib in 2026
Born1989 (age 36–37)
Yarmouk, Syria
NationalityPalestinian-Syrian
OccupationFilmmaker, screenwriter, human-rights activist
Years active2010s–present
WorksChronicles from the Siege
Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege
AwardsBest First Feature Award, 2026 Berlin International Film Festival

Abdallah Al-Khatib (Arabic: عبد الله الخطيب) is a Palestinian-Syrian filmmaker, screenwriter and human-rights activist. He is best known for his films Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege and Chronicles from the Siege, both inspired by his experiences in the Yarmouk refugee camp of Damascus.

His work has explored war, displacement, and the lived experiences of civilians in conflict zones. In 2026, Chronicles from the Siege won the Best First Feature Award at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival.

Early life and education

Al-Khatib was born in 1989 in Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp and suburb of Damascus, Syria. He studied sociology at the University of Damascus. Before the escalation of the Syrian civil war, he worked with the United Nations on youth and volunteer initiatives and helped establish the humanitarian organisation Wataad, which coordinated relief activities during the conflict.[1] During 2011 and 2015, Al-Khatib began documenting everyday life in the besieged camp, filming events that would later form the basis of his first feature documentary.[2][3]

Career

Documentary films

Al-Khatib first gained international recognition with Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege (2021), filmed largely inside the besieged Yarmouk camp. The film depicts daily survival under siege and was screened at numerous international festivals, including the 2021 Torino Film Festival, Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, ACID Cannes and Visions du Réel festival.[4][1] The documentary received several festival awards and critical attention for its first-hand account of the humanitarian conditions experienced by residents of the camp.[5]

Fiction films

In the following years, Al-Khatib expanded into fiction filmmaking. His short film Sokrania 59 was produced in the early 2020s and screened in international programmes focussing on emerging Arab filmmakers.[6][7] His first full-length feature film, Chronicles from the Siege, premiered in the Perspectives section of the Berlin International Film Festival, where it received the Best First Feature Award.[8]

Activism

Alongside filmmaking, Al-Khatib has been involved in humanitarian and human-rights initiatives related to the Syrian conflict and Palestinian refugees. For his activism, he received the Swedish Per Anger Prize for Human Rights in 2016 and recognition from Greenpeace Germany.[6]

After leaving Syria, Al-Khatib settled in Germany, where he has continued his work as a filmmaker and public speaker on issues of displacement, war, and human rights.[9]

Filmography

Feature films

Short films

  • Sokrania 59 (2023)

Awards and recognition

  • Peacemaker of the Year – Greenpeace Germany (2014)
  • Per Anger Prize (2016)
  • GWFF Best First Feature Award – Berlin International Film Festival (2026)

Controversy

During his speech at the award ceremony, the filmmaker criticized the German and Israeli governments and their involvements in the Gaza War.[10] This prompted Germany's Federal Minister for the Environment Carsten Schneider (SPD) to leave the ceremony.[11] Similar speeches and public statements by filmmakers critisizing the festival's reluctance to allow political statements were reported in international media.[12][13][14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege". Torino Film Festival.
  2. ^ "Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege". www.yidff.jp. Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  3. ^ "Little Palestine (Diary of a Siege) – Abdallah Al-Khatib | Bozar Brussels". www.bozar.be. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  4. ^ "Cinematic Dialogues – Abdallah Al-Khatib". Palestine Film Institute.
  5. ^ "Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege". Amman International Film Festival.
  6. ^ a b "Abdallah Al-Khatib". Palestine Film Institute.
  7. ^ "Sokrania 59 – Amman International Film Festival – Booking". Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  8. ^ "Chronicles From the Siege | Berlinale". www.berlinale.de. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  9. ^ "Abdallah Al-Khatib". DAFilms.
  10. ^ "Berlin Film Festival winners condemn Israel in speeches". The Jerusalem Post. 22 February 2026. ISSN 0792-822X. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  11. ^ "Umweltminister Schneider verlässt Berlinale-Preisverleihung aus Protest gegen propalästinensische Rede". Der Spiegel (in German). 22 February 2026. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  12. ^ Mullally, William. "'We will remember everyone who stood against us': Gaza dominates Berlin festival as Arab films win top prizes". The National. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  13. ^ "Berlinale Winner Abdallah Al-Khatib Condemns Germany's Gaza Genocide 'Complicity'". Outlook India. 22 February 2026. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  14. ^ "Wegen israelfeindlicher Propaganda-Rede bei Berlinale: SPD-Minister verlässt die Preisverleihung ". Jüdische Allgemeine (in German). Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland. 21 February 2026. Retrieved 23 February 2026.


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