24 October 2017
The fourth edition of Days of Cinema, organised by Filmlab: Palestine, which is currently taking part in the fifth round of the Abbara Program, took place from 17 till 23 October. More than 60 Arab and international films were screened in this year’s edition, including feature films, documentaries, short films and animated films for children.
The festival took place in five Palestinian cities: Jerusalem, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Nablus and Gaza. It opened with the premier of Wajib, directed by the Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir. The film was selected as Palestine’s official entry in the Oscars 2017 for the category of Best Foreign Language Film.
As part of this year’s event, Filmlab: Palestine launched Palestine Film Meetings (PFM), which seeks to offer a networking platform in Palestine for local and international film professionals. Also, the winners of the first edition of the Sunbird Award were announced during the Days of Cinema closing ceremonies. The Sunbird Awards are given to films produced or directed by Palestinians or films that treat themes related to Palestine.
Days of Cinema, which is organised by Filmlab: Palestine every year in October, seeks to place Palestine on the map of the international film industry and to promote local and international films in order to contribute to the revival of cinema culture in Palestine. During Days of Cinema, numerous cultural organisations and centres in different Palestinian cities collaborate in the presentation of the films participating in this event.
