EXCLUSIVE: The Palestine Film Institute has lined up three documentaries for the second edition of its works-in-progress showcase at the upcoming Sheffield DocFest (June 18-23), including the next project from Rashid Abdelhamid, a producer on Cannes Un Certain Regard premiere Once Upon A Time In Gaza.
Theft Of Fire is directed by Palestinian artist Amer Shomali, who previously directed Bethlehem-set virtual reality project The Walled Off Hotel VR Project. The documentary revolves around an art heist that never happened, as a Palestinian archaeologist and ex-prisoner hatch a plan to steal back priceless antiquities.
Producers are Palestine’s Abdelhamid, Canada’s Ina Fichman and France’s Raol Peck collaborator Remi Grellety, whose credits also include Soundtrack To A Coup d’Etat.
Istanbul-based Syrian filmmaker Mahmoud Atassi presents the follow-up to his IDFA premiere Eyes Of Gaza. White Resistance: Letters To The Living is a Qatar-Turkey co-production, with Syria’s Abdulrahman Alkilany a producer. Using hours of haunting footage from inside Gaza’s Kamal Edwan hospital, a Palestinian lawyer battles to free hospital director Hussam AbuSafiya from Israeli detention.
Palestine’s Fuad Hindieh directs and produces Reclaiming Time, set up as a Palestine-France co-production. When a Palestinian filmmaker tries to legally change his birthdate, his absurd bureaucratic quest becomes a heist to reclaim time stolen by occupation.
The showcase gives filmmakers and producers the chance to share their work with decision-makers and festival programmers. It is a supported by the British Council and Swiss production company Akka Films.
PFI is a voluntary and independent Palestinian non-profit established in 2019. Salma Abu Ayyash, May Odeh, Elhum Shakerifar, Reem Shadid and Mohamed Jabaly make up the executive board.
Sheffield DocFest’s Palestinian presence is further bolstered by four projects playing in the line-up, including the world premiere of Hosam Abu Dan’s Gaza Sound Man and UK premieres of Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi’s A State Of Passion and Amber Fares’ Coexistance, My Ass!
The Palestine Comedy Club will also present a special event discussing how humour can challenge power, shift narratives and tell difficult truths, following the world premiere of Alaa Aliabdallah’s documentary Palestine Comedy Club at SXSW London, produced by the UK’s Charlotte Knowles.
Palestinian projects taking part in Sheffield DocFest’s MeetMarket include Muna Alkurd’s If I Don’t Steal It…, Flavia Cappellini’s Gaza Sunbirds, Mona El-Naggar and Cora Engelbrecht’s In The Presence Of Absence and Torstein Grude’s Anatomy Of A Genocide.
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