Film festival director Pascale Fakhry emphasizes shared history in cinemas

The ALFILM Festival, the oldest and most significant forum for Arab cinema in German-speaking countries, is set to return from April 24th to 30th. This year's event promises a week-long celebration of Arab-centric films and filmmaking, offering screenings, talks, and panel discussions.

Founded in 2009 by Fadi Abdelnour, Issam Haddad, and Claudia Jubeh, the festival's mission has always been to bring Arab cinema to Berlin and provide a platform for Arab voices. Over the years, the quality and quantity of Arab cinema have increased, leading to more films being produced and touring the world.

The festival is structured into two main sections: the 'Selection' for contemporary films and the 'Spotlight' for thematic programming on the most important topics of the moment. This year, the 'Spotlight' section focuses on Palestine in cinema.

Pascale Fakhry, who has been involved with the festival since its founding and took over as artistic director in 2020 and director in 2022, is at the helm of this year's programming. Under her leadership, the festival's focus has been on thematic topics in the Arab world, cinema, and beyond.

The opening film of the festival is a documentary called Bye Bye Tiberias [2023] by Lina Soualem. Another highlight is The Burdened [2023], a film from Yemen by Amr Gamal. The festival also features a documentary from Iraq, My Lost Country [2022].

In addition to these, the festival will showcase Jean-Luc Godard's career in relation to Palestinian cinema and Costa-Gavras' film Hanna K. [1983] under a specific lens to explore Palestine's influence on cinema.

The ALFILM Festival has its own independent funding and structures, so the tumult in Berlin's cultural sector may not directly affect festivals like ALFILM. The festival has been funded by its founders' own resources for its initial years and has received funding for the last five years, allowing it to expand.

The festival hopes to facilitate peaceful and constructive discussions about different perspectives on Palestine. More information about the festival can be found at alfilm.berlin.