Key moments and themes from the 2024 DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival

The DC Palestinian Film & Arts Festival (DCPFAF) had its 11th outing from October 24-27, highlighting Palestinian filmmakers like Rami Younis, Mahdi Fleifel, and many others, including new voices from Gaza.

Taking place at DC's Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library, the event was sold out, with over 300 attendees at the screening of From Ground Zero, a collection of 22 films made by filmmakers in Gaza during the genocide. 

Although this collection of films was shunned by the 2024 Cannes festival, it has been submitted as an entry for the 2025 Oscars race.

Leaving lasting impressions, The New Arab spoke with attendees to gather their perspectives on the festival.

“We've been in DC since 2011,” began Michael Kamel, the Programs Director for DCPFAF.

Founded by three women with a mostly Palestinian team, Michael added that the festival was created to provide a platform for Palestinians to tell their stories, whether about Palestine or not.

He elaborated that the aim of the festival has always been to give depth to individual Palestinian experiences that are often overlooked in Western media. “Our mantra is kind of, ‘the story is by a Palestinian, not necessarily about Palestine.’”

Michael also noted the festival's significant growth since its humble beginnings.

“It used to be one film a night, very local. Since I've been involved, we’ve expanded to multiple venues across the city. We’ve brought in Palestinian filmmakers from around the world — Chile, the West Bank, Germany. We’ve showcased at the Kennedy Center two years in a row, featuring a variety show and a comedian. We are always looking to expand our platforms and elevate our artists' names.”

'Palestine is the focus for all of us'

For Michael, Israel's ongoing war on Gaza and the West Bank has made the connection between people and land even stronger.

He said, “This year, particularly, Palestine is the focus for all of us, but generally, we just want to be a space and a platform for Palestinians to speak about our experiences beyond policy and anything judicial.”

He also added that, while there was an expectation that the festival might face backlash due to the war, this was not the case.

“What’s really nice about our festival is that we curate a very safe and supportive space for each other. So even internally, we're always checking in with each other. Some of our friends, some of our families, some of us are affected directly by the ongoing genocide and by all of the assaults that Israel has launched onto Gaza since the inception of our festival. This is real life for us, and no amount of backlash can outweigh the love we have for each other and the support we have for each other.”

Despite the lack of backlash, Michael pointed out some of the obstacles they faced this year.

One issue was receiving international filmmakers.

“There's a lot of elements that are just kind of not usual for maybe other festivals or events. For example, we've had artists, including this year, that we've invited, and we were set out to bring to the festival. And then, either their visas were rejected or they had to return home to be with their family because things are getting unsafe in Palestine. Those are considerations that we kind of just always have to be aware of and navigate emotionally.”

Michael also described the challenge of the disorienting reality he and his fellow Palestinian organisers must deal with in observing the IDF’s actions against their people while organising the festival.

“There’s often a disconnect and kind of internal tension between the work we're doing and believing that it's important, and then opening our phones and tuning into the news and seeing what's happening to Palestinians on the ground in Palestine,” he says. “But we work through it, because this is important, and we look out for each other, and we see this as a space to process together as well. So those are some of the difficulties we've dealt with.”

Despite these challenges, Michael stressed the festival's importance in highlighting Palestinian voices, as they are often excluded from sharing their own stories.

“We have to tell our stories. If we don't do it, we can't trust other people to do it, naturally, because we are experts in our own experiences. And as Palestinians in America, particularly, we have to amplify Palestinian voices from Palestine. It has to come from us. I just firmly believe that.”

Collective perspectives

At the screening of From Ground Zero at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, The New Arab spoke with more organisers and attendees who echoed Michael’s views about the festival’s significance in showcasing Palestinian stories.

Mohammed Khader, the Policy Manager for US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), one of the event's sponsors, recognised the importance of art in raising awareness, especially regarding the injustices inflicted upon the Palestinian people.

“Being at the festival, especially now, lets us put a face to the pain we’re experiencing,” Mohammed said. “It allows us to express ourselves and view our stories, not just cinematically but in a way that shares what we’ve been articulating for the last year.”

He further explained that the festival's high attendance demonstrated a force of unity within the Palestinian community and their allies.

“Being in community with the DMV, people coming in for the festival is something that others have tried to ensure doesn’t happen, that there's not a sense of unity within the community, and to ensure that our community is broken. But again, the festival was a reminder that coming together around art and centring our stories is very important,” he said.

Maryam, an attendee at the From Ground Zero screening, highlighted the need to present the truth about Gaza in a way that mainstream media often overlooks.

“It’s important for me because the American public isn’t getting the full picture,” she said. “There’s a lot of misinformation and propaganda. I need to hear stories from Palestinians and people in Gaza, from Palestinian filmmakers and journalists on the ground, to understand their experiences during this genocide and 77 years of oppression. Their voices matter, and that’s why I’m here.”

Andrew Kadi, a Palestinian-Egyptian-American panelist, also said, “I think it's powerful to be back together. I think this is a very difficult moment that all of us are living through as Palestinians. But, to be fair, the global community is witnessing a genocide underway. It's helpful to have a space like this where we are celebrating Palestinian culture, Palestinian artists, and we are also having difficult conversations about what is going on, what this means, and what the future of Palestine and Palestinians is. All credit to a number of mainly Palestinian women who founded this film festival; they did an incredible job.”

Bria Areel, a key organiser of the festival, emphasised the importance of the festival in allowing marginalised people, including Palestinians, to tell their own stories.

“I think it’s really about expression through perspectives. So many times, other people tell marginalised people's stories. As someone who is of Black ancestral American descent of slavery, like so many others, we have to tell our stories. The best way to do that is through our people, through our ancestors, through the new generation. And I think that’s true for Palestinians as well. And that's what we do at the festival.”

Bria also reflected on how Palestinian filmmaking pushes the boundaries of art.

“We highlight Palestinian stories made by Palestinians, or stories in general made by Palestinians, and their experiences through creativity, whatever form it comes in — whether it’s through film or through art, or whatever medium. As our program director says, we’re always on the pulse. We even push the boundaries of what people consider film and art.”

Towards liberation

Commenting on the overall impact and conclusions of the festival, Michael shared that the event serves as a reminder of hope for Palestinians in their journey toward liberation.

“History changes naturally, and I find a lot of hope, and I take a lot of comfort in that,” he said.

“And I think the question that we, as a people facing this level of extermination, need to ask is: how can we speed up the timeline of that change? I believe it’s going to happen. It has to happen because racism is not a sustainable ideology. It might not feel that way, given how all-encompassing and traumatic Israel's actions against Palestinians have been, especially over the past year. But it’s our goal to speed up the timeline of change.”

Michael concluded, “I take hope in the fact that the world keeps revolving, and with that comes change. That’s how I feel on my most optimistic days. It’s important for us as Palestinians in the diaspora to try to maintain that hope as much as we can. People in Palestine are looking to us to speak out for them. So that’s how I feel on my most optimistic days.”

Swara Salih is a writer and podcaster who has written for The Nerds of Color and But Why Tho? He co-hosts The Middle Geeks podcast, which covers all things SWANA/MENA representation, and is a co-host of the Spider-Man/Spider-Verse podcast Into The Spider-Cast

Follow him on X: @spiderswarz