Palestine Cinema Days

Palestine Cinema Days
Nectarinia osea, the Palestinian Sunbird, represented on the award.
LocationPalestine
Founded2014 (2014)
AwardsPalestinian Sunbird Award, Sunbird Production Award, Masarat
Websitehttps://pcd.flp.ps/

The Palestine Cinema Days is a film festival made by Film Lab Palestine—based in Ramalah, Palestine—which is held annually in November. It aims to bring Palestinian film and Arab cinema with topics surrounding Palestine, to the international scene. The festival also hostings film screenings, workshops, and panel discussions across Ramallah, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jenin, Haifa, Gaza city and Rafah, as well as internationally.[1] It also aims to bring both international and local film to areas of Palestine which have restricted freedom of movement.[2]

History

Palestine Cinema Days first organized in 2014 with the goal of screening films and introducing and discussing film with Palestinians. It also featured training programs and workshops to help teach growing filmmakers.[1][3]

In 2016 the "Palestinian Sunbird Award" was created. In 2017 the "Sunbird Production Award" was made, to support production costs for filmmakers.[4]

In 2022 it screened 58 films, having a subprogram called "Voicing Visual Memory",[5] remembering Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) withdrawal from Beirut.[1]

In 2023 the 10th festival was postponed weeks before its launch in November due to the Gaza War. Instead the Palestine Cinema Days "Around the World" initiative was launched and became a global movement, showing 171 screenings in 41 countries.[6]

In 2024 the festival had 400 international screenings in almost 60 countries, continuing the "Around the World" initiative, and reach of Palestinian Cinema.[7]

In 2025 festival expanded further, having over 700 screenings across 94 countries.[8] That year it selected 7 films to show:[9]

Festival Awards

  • The "Palestinian Sunbird Award" is given under the competition for short films, documentary feature films, and short film projects, awarding $5,000 for the documentary, and $3000 for the short film.[1][10] It is named after the Palestinian Sunbird, the national bird of Palestine since 2015,[11] by the organization for having "an unbreakable will to survive."[4]
  • The "Sunbird Production Award" was made to help fund the production of films for Palestinian filmmakers, with an award of $10,000. Applications for the award are selected by a board of 3 judges.[4] It is funded via the sale of tickets, primarily bought by other producers, said to be a way to "cooperate and collect money for someone who has a film and wants to produce it," by Hanna Atallah, festival director and filmmaker.[10][3]
  • The "Masarat" are awards with which are awarded to the best documentary and best short film, which are chosen by public voting, encouraging engagement with the audience.[12][13]

Board members

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Tahhan, Zena Al (10 November 2022). "Film festival brings Palestinian history to life". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  2. ^ "Palestinian stories of trauma, resilience spotlighted". The Express Tribune. 13 November 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  3. ^ a b Sema, Zulal (18 July 2025). "Palestinian filmmaker Hanna Atallah guides young talents at FilmLab Palestine to resist erasure". TRT World. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d "ABOUT THE FESTIVAL". Palestine Cinema Days. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  5. ^ "Palestine Cinema Days 2022 Palestinians Resist Through Cinema". Palestine Cinema Days. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  6. ^ "Palestine Cinema Days: Around the World 2025". Casco Art Institute. 26 February 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  7. ^ "Palestine Cinema Days". Museo Reina Sofía. 1 November 2025. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  8. ^ "Palestine Cinema Days Lands in Egypt With Six Powerful Films". CairoScene. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  9. ^ "Around the World 2025". Filmlab:Palestine. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  10. ^ a b "Palestine festival fetes films on life under Israeli occupation". Al Jazeera. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  11. ^ Qais, Abu Samra (18 September 2018). "Palestine adopts sunbird as emblem for exported goods". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  12. ^ "Masarat". Palestine Cinema Days. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  13. ^ "مهرجان أيام فلسطين السينمائية الدولي.. شمعة عاشرة بحلّة مُتجدّدة!". al-ayyam.ps. 2 May 2023. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2026.


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