7th Annual DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival Brings Hollywood, Storytelling, Dance, and Film to the District
The seventh annual DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival (DCPFAF), which celebrates the work of Palestinian artists and filmmakers from around the world, will take place Oct. 5-8 at E Street Cinemas and Studio Theatre. Rounding out robust programming over the past six years, this year’s festival emphasizes the performing arts, exploring the creative potential of memory, trauma, and resilience. The 2017 run features a spotlight on Hollywood actor, director, and television producer Cherien Dabis (Amreeka, May in the Summer, The L Word, Empire, Quantico), 11 films, dance, and live storytelling in partnership with Palestinians Podcast.
On Monday, Oct. 2, DCPFAF will be live on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage with a prelude to the festival entitled “I Am From There, I Am From Here: A Palestinian Showcase.” The free showcase will feature storyteller Nadia Abuelezam of Palestinians Podcast, Huda Asfour with her musical ensemble, and Visiting Palestine, a one-act play performed by Leila Buck and written and directed by Noura Erakat, all sewn together with the beats of New York-based DJ Fatin.
On Thursday, October 5, the film portion of the festival begins on opening night, with a screening of Raed Andoni’s searing feature-length hybrid documentary on Palestinian prisoners, Ghost Hunting (Best Documentary, Berlinale). The film will be followed by a discussion of the psychological and social impacts of the mass incarceration of Palestinians by Israel and Black and Latino communities in the US, asking what can be learned from putting these struggles in conversation. Short films and panels throughout the weekend will explore a range of subjects from music production to displacement to the portrayals of Palestinians onscreen.
On Friday, October. 6, audiences will be treated to an evening celebrating the timeless Palestinian art of storytelling with local Palestinian performers. Told without notes and from the heart, Palestinians, Live! will create a raw and emotional connection between the storytellers and audience. By seamlessly weaving Palestinian identity across multiple frontiers, including Washington, DC, this event highlights the dynamic nature of cultural, political, and social identities constructed in a global and multi-generational diaspora.
On Saturday, October. 7, spotlight artist Cherien Dabis will share selections from her body of work with festival goers and engage in an intimate conversation about navigating Hollywood as a Palestinian woman, her own journey into production and screenwriting, as well as the feat of portraying nuanced Palestinian characters in her films.
On Sunday, October 8, the festival will close with Chicago-based artists Ahmed Hamad and Hamza Allaham who will bring their viral video sensation, Dabke is Life, to the DCPFAF stage. Choreographer and dancer, Hamad, will dance to beats played by flutist, Allaham. The duo will also screen Hamad’s experimental short films.
To learn more about the DCPFAF and the 2017 program, visit www.dcpfaf.org.