Palestinian Short Film Programme

OSLO PALESTINE FILM FESTIVAL

We are proud to announce the inauguration of the Oslo Palestine Film Festival (OPFF) in March 2012. As the first of its kind in Norway, OPFF aims to introduce Oslo to the richness of Palestinian cinema, by showcasing films of a variety of genres related to Palestine made by filmmakers of all nationalities. This two-hour short film program within the framework of Films From the South is a promotion of next years’ festival taking place at Filmens hus.

The following films will be screened at Filmens hus (Tancred) Tuesday October 11th at 7 pm:

Naim & Wadee'a (Naja Najar, Palestine, 1999, 22 min)

This documentary explores the social life in Yaffa through a miniature portrait of a Palestinian couple, Wadee’a Aghabi and Naim Azar who are the filmmaker’s grandparents. They lived in the city, and the effect leaving Yaffa had on them after 1948 is captured in the story built on the oral history of the three daughters of Naim and Wadee’a, Mary, Janette and Therese. Their daughters preserved their memories, and the film takes the audience into the lives of Naim and Wadee’a and into the city they were forced to leave behind.

The Way Back Home (Ghada Terawi, Palestine, 2006, 33. min)

This thoughtful documentary attempts to address existential Palestinian concepts of exile, return, and the dream of the homeland. Abu Nizar, after more than a half a century exile in Morocco, recalls the finest details of "home," despite the hardships of alienation. Husni, an artist, is also in permanent search for an affinity with the place he inhabits. Munira, an actress, refuses to be marginalized. For Arafat, the image of Palestine remains romantically "filled with the Jaffa oranges."

Arafat & I (M. Fleifel, 2008, 15 min)

Marwan is a Palestinian in love. He's finally met Lisa, the girl he's going to marry. Everything about her is perfect - she was even born on the same day as Chairman Arafat! But does Lisa know the significance of this coincidence?

A Boy, a Wall and a Donkey (Hany Abu-Assad, Palestine, the Netherlands, 2008, 4 min)

Three kids attempt to shoot a film with surveillance cameras available in their village.

Flower Seller (Ihab JADALLAH, Palestine, 2011, 20 min)

In a refugee camp in Jenine, a flower seller struggles to earn a living, selling flowers at funerals, especially when martyrs are buried. Yet no one really cares for his flowers in this camp where opportunities for celebration and joy are scarce. He is an easy prey for the Israeli secret service.

Homage by Assassination (Elia SULIMAN, Palestine, USA, 1992, 28 min)

Homage by Assassination is a diary film that critiques the 1991 Gulf War via the juxtaposition of multi-layered personal anecdotes and identity.