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WTOP - DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival comes to life on screen, on stage
Through oral storytelling and other live performances, this annual D.C. film and arts festival pushes beyond the screen to immerse audiences in varied and complex perspectives. “That’s something with the festivals: We’re always trying to push a different boundary. What’s an art form we haven’t shown before?” said Michael Kamel, curator of the D.C. Palestinian Film and Arts Festival.
FESTIVAL REVIEWS - Interview with Festival Co-Director Michael Kamel (DC Palestinian Film & Arts Festival)
The DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival (DCPFAF) prides itself on creating a space for Palestinian subjectivity. We highlight the voices and stories of Palestinian artists from around the world. Filmmakers show audiences their debilitating morning commutes to Jerusalem through the infamous Qalandiya checkpoint, the horrors faced during the 2014 Israeli assault on Gaza, and life as a refugee in Greece. These are all stories that need to be heard.
Washington city paper - Live Storytelling Takes Center Stage At This Year’s Palestinian Film and Arts Festival
It’s been a turbulent year for Palestine, and the seventh annual D.C. Palestinian Film and Arts Festival aims to enlighten the District about the human side of politics through memory and trauma, the themes for this year’s festival. Also new for this year is the inclusion of one of Palestine’s most honored and historic traditions: oral storytelling.
MONDOWEISS - D.C. Palestinian Film and Arts Festival celebrates ‘what it is to be Palestinian’
When developing DCPFAF, [co-founder Nadia] Daar told Mondoweiss, the challenge became ‘‘how can we bring this to the D.C. context and make it relevant, but also make it unique?” Two distinctive features of the festival are that the DCPFAF “expands beyond film; to art, to storytelling, to literature” and that in these various mediums, younger artists have space to tell their own stories through a Palestinian lens.
Palestine square - DC Film Festival Spotlights Palestinian Trauma
(Sep. 25, 2017) The festival lineup of films stands out for its selection of short films featuring the creative potential of Palestinian filmmakers and musicians. The music history of Palestine is depicted through three films providing a glimpse into Palestinian music production and memory from the early 20th century to the vibrant indie music scene of today.
+972 magazine - Women rule the stage at DC’s Palestinian film and arts festival
For the first time in its seven-year run, the annual DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival brings live performances to the stage, highlighting the role of women in storytelling.
Palestine Square - DC Palestinian Festival: An Expression of Home and Exile
The DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival opened its doors on October 5 and will run through October 9 in downtown Washington DC at three different venues: the District Architecture Center, Regal Cinemas at Gallery Place, and E-Street Cinema. The organizers of the festival, now in its sixth year, hope to ignite a conversation about Home and what it means for Palestinians.
