Announcing the 2nd Annual Boston Palestine Film Festival :: October 4-12, 2008

BOSTON PALESTINE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ITS SECOND ANNUAL FILM FESTIVAL COMMEMORATING THE 60^TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NAKBA

Film Festival Features Over 55 Films, Documentaries and Dramatic Features by International Filmmakers

The Boston Palestine Film Festival (BPFF) returns to the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Harvard Film Archive (HFA), Coolidge Corner Theatre with another compelling collection of documentaries, dramatic features and new films by emerging artists commemorating the 60^th anniversary of the Nakba, the expulsion from Palestine of much of the indigenous Arab population. The Second Annual Boston Palestine Film Festival will run from October 4-12, 2008 with free screenings at Northeastern University, Harvard University, Boston College and Worcester. There will also be an opening reception on Friday, October 3rd at Harvard University, in conjunction with the Expressions of Nakba Exhibition, followed by the opening night film “Slingshot Hip Hop” at the MFA the next day.

As part of the festival, a concert by the Simon Shaheen Trio will be held at the Museum of Fine Arts on Friday, October 10th at 7:30 PM. Simon Shaheen is one of the most significant Arab musicians, performers, and composers of his generation. His work incorporates and reflects a legacy of Arabic music, while it forges ahead to new frontiers, embracing many different styles in the process, from jazz to Western classical music.

In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Nakba, over 55 films by international directors will be shown; many dealing with the root issues of dispossession and diaspora. Also featured are the works of critically acclaimed directors such as Yousry Nasrallah, Annemarie Jacir; the first feature by a Palestinian woman showcased at the Cannes film festival in 2008; and a retrospective of celebrated filmmaker Michel Khleifi.

From the fractured historical legacy of refugees in Bab el Shams to the darkest tribal intrigues of Maria’s Grotto to the brash exultations of young rappers in Slingshot Hip Hop, these films allow the viewer to understand the story of Palestine yesterday and today. The avant-garde recycling of found footage (Jerusalem, the Adulterous Wife) and the clever use of pop editing and visual strategies (Around) provide interesting cinematic backdrops to these stories. And with Khleifi's Tale of Three Jewels, which is also appropriate for children, the festival provides something for everyone interested in cinema.

Discussions with directors will follow most screenings. The 2008 festival program schedule is online at http://bostonpalestine.bside.com/2008/schedule

About the Boston Palestine Film Festival

Now, in its second year, the Boston Palestine Film Festival is committed to showcasing the Palestinian narrative through the medium of cinema to audiences in the New England area. The Boston Palestine Film Festival is co-presented by the Museum of Fine Arts Film Department and the Harvard Film Archive. It is funded privately and through a grant from The Jerusalem Fund for education and community development.

Festival website: http://www.bostonpalestinefilmfest.org http://bostonpalestine.bside.com/2008/films