Festival Ciné-Palestine concludes in Paris

The Festival Ciné-Palestine concluded its third successful edition in Paris, France on 11 June. The festival began on 2 June and included many events, including screenings of short and full-length films, documentaries, presentations of novels and cultural works and discussions following many presentations.

A number of directors and producers from various regions of occupied Palestine and beyond participated in the festival. Several guests from the Gaza Strip were unable to participate due to the closure of Rafah crossing and the ongoing siege.

Hanan Abunasser, member of the Secretariat of the Union of Palestinian Communities and Organizations in Europe, participated in the festival and met with many of the organizers and participants to discuss the possibility for strengthening cooperation in these types of cultural activities and events.

She emphasized the importance of joint coordination to prepare for upcoming festivals in several European and Arab cities and the importance of Palestinian cultural work, especially as Zionist forces spare no effort to reach the world through large and small screens to disseminate misleading colonial narratives. She also emphasized the importance of organizing to reach the largest possible number of Arabs in Europe and beyond.

Fidaa al-Jounaidi, a member of the organizing committee of the festival, said that Festival Ciné-Palestine was established to promote the Palestinian cultural presence in Europe in general and France in particular, and to highlight Palestinian expressions and discussions about important issues for the Palestinian people.

It should be noted that the main theme of the third edition of the festival was marking the 50th anniversary of the June 1967 defeat. Within this context, the festival presented “Perspectives on 1967” as part of its program of 22 Palestinian and Arab films, shorts, features and documentaries.

Photo: Festival Ciné-Palestine