This event is proudly hosted by The Network of Arab Alternative Screens (NAAS) and Film Lab Palestine (FLP)

At a time when independent cinema remains one of the last frontiers for free expression, we gather to spotlight the vital role of alternative film screens in preserving and promoting Palestinian narratives. These spaces offer crucial platforms for Palestinian and Arab films to be seen, discussed, and celebrated beyond mainstream channels. As cultural production faces mounting pressures, independent screens represent not only a logistical solution but a political and artistic imperative.

This conversation is presented by NAAS, a regional network supporting alternative film exhibition spaces across the Arab world, in collaboration with Film Lab Palestine (Ramallah) - a leading advocate for the development of Palestinian filmmaking culture to imagine new strategies of visibility, resilience, and collective storytelling -,  and other member organizations including Cinema Akil (Dubai), Metropolis Cinema (Beirut), and Zawya Cinema (Cairo).

Join us at the Palestine Pavilion for an urgent and hopeful dialogue on the screens that sustain Palestinian cinema—from Ramallah to Tunis, from refugee camps to festival stages—and how audiences and allies can help keep them alive.

With its slogan “Emancipatory Film Culture in, from, and for Palestine”, Filmlab Palestine, a non-profit organization, strives, since its foundation in 2014, to promote, revive, and expand one of the most effective audiovisual tools for self-expression, storytelling, and the preservation of collective memory: Cinema. 

Youssef Shazli is the co-founder and director of Zawya Cinema Distribution, an independent platform with the aim to make quality films accessible in Egypt and the region. He is also the Head of Distribution at Misr International Films, overseeing the restoration and sales of its library titles. Youssef was the Head of Cinegouna Bridge at the El Gouna Film Festival’s sixth edition. He is currently producing his first feature film. Aside from his work in film, Youssef DJs and curates electronic music events. Youssef holds a BA in International Development Studies from McGill University.

Butheina Kazim is the founder of Cinema Akil, the only independent arthouse cinema in the Gulf region programming repertory cinema programs at their flagship home in Alserkal Avenue, at their new outpost in 25 Hours Hotel in Dubai and through the nomadic cinema across the GCC. She was awarded the title of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture, an Asia21 Asia Society Fellow and was named by Fast Company Middle East as one of the Most Creative People in Business and a member of the Network of Arab Alternative Screens. As a Fulbright Scholar, Kazim obtained an MA in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University and she lives and works in Dubai. Instagram @butheinahk | X @butheina

Ola Salama, Executive Director of Filmlab: Palestine. With its slogan “Emancipatory Film Culture in, from, and for Palestine,” Filmlab Palestine, a non-profit organization, has strived since its foundation in 2014 to promote, revive, and expand one of the most effective audiovisual tools for self-expression, storytelling, and the preservation of collective memory: cinema. We work on boosting film production and viewership in Palestine, inspiring a wider cinema audience, and empowering a new generation of Palestinian filmmakers.

Hania Mroué is the founder and director of Metropolis Cinema, Lebanon’s first art house movie theatre, opened in 2006. She started in 2010 MC Distribution, a company dedicated to selling and distributing Arab and International independent titles in the MENA region. She is a founding member of Aflamuna (formerly Beirut DC) created in 1998, to promotes and support independent Arab films. For 10 years she was the Managing Director of the Arab film Festival “Ayam Beirut al Cinema’iya”. From 2010 to 2012, she was Chief Arab Programmer at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival. She served as jury member at several prestigious film festivals around the world such as Cannes (Semaine de la Critique), Berlinale, Cinema Du Réel and others. She is a consultant for Arab film programming and industry events at the Marrakesh International Film Festival since 2020.

Hanna Atallah is a filmmaker, producer, and cultural art manager, based between Berlin and Jerusalem. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cinema Studies from the High Institute of Cinema in the Egyptian Academy of Arts. His experience covers filmmaking projects, both fiction and documentary.

Atallah aims to empower unheard voices throughout his professional career. With the creation of the non-profit organisation of “Filmlab: Palestine” in 2014 in Ramallah, he developed a platform to activate cinema culture, work on audience awareness and invest in professional knowledge exchange in Palestine, which opened the door for a regional and international network for Palestinian film professionals. Moreover, Atallah was the initiator, producer, and manager of the Palestinian Memory Documentation Project in Talbiyeh Refugee Camp in Jordan. He is the founder and Artistic Director of Palestine Cinema Days.