Join the Palestine Film Institute for reflection, renewal, and connection as we share key institutional updates, governance developments and program achievements along with our strategic priorities for 2026–2028. This presentation offers partners, supporters and collaborators an opportunity to engage with PFI’s evolving vision, strengthen relationships, and honour the collective work of sustaining Palestinian cinema as an essential part of a vibrant global cultural ecosystem.

For media inquiries, please contact: media@palestinefilminstitute.org

Why do European cultural institutions find the calls of refusal by Palestinian artists and their supporters so problematic? Why are the oppressed forced to justify using boycott—their only peaceful means of protest—to be heard? How can boycotts be implemented as  legitimate state policy (e.g., against Russia, Iran, or South Africa) but simultaneously condemned as censorship and discrimination when employed by Palestinians? Furthermore, how is boycott  a crucial political and ethical action in countering  genocide and imperialist domination?

The panel is proposed and moderated by La Palestine sauvera le cinéma, a collective of filmworkers committed to the cultural boycott.

Speakers: Aïda Kaadan, Eyal Sivan, and members of the collective La Palestine sauvera le cinéma.

Co-hosted with Film Workers for Palestine, this gathering offers a space for collective remembrance, reflection, and solidarity in commemoration of the Nakba the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians in 1948. Together, filmmakers, cultural workers and allies will honor lives, histories and enduring resilience, connecting past catastrophe to the urgencies of the present in Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo, and affirming the role of cinema and culture in memory, witness, and the shared struggle for justice.

How do films find a language in a time of Genocide that goes beyond the saturated news footage? Visibility is key but risks dehumanising the very people whose stories we are telling. This Cross-regional solidarity initiative seeks to consolidate networks of filmmakers in times of profound upheaval. This Palestine Pavilion gathering highlights the work of Sudanese filmmakers with their newly released films and current projects in a space of discussion, networking and solidarity. The conversations will be led by celebrated Sudanese filmmakers Ibrahim Snoopy (Khartoum), Suzannah Mirghani (Cotton Queen), Mazin Gamar (The Militia & Me), and Sara Suliman (Heroic Bodies). 

This panel and reception that follows were made possible through the long term collaboration and ongoing support from IEFTF 

Lebanese cinema has long navigated the tension between archive and erasure, between memory and the urgency of now. PFI is committed to fostering solidarity across filmmaking communities facing crisis, and this Palestine Pavilion gathering brings Lebanese filmmakers together to share new work and works-in-progress — opening space for dialogue, connection, and collective resilience. The conversations will be led by Lebanese filmworkers.

South–South Alliances Panel: The shifting audiovisual landscape urges us to reflect on alternative means of production and distribution and how to forge meaningful South-South alliances that align with our realities of film production, circulation,  cultural exchange, expanding horizons and audiences in the current state of crisis. Leading film industry figures from South Africa - Southern Producers Accelerator initiative, Colombia – MUICA African festival in 5 cities. Burkina Faso – Fespaco and newly established film commission, Kenya’s – Doc A and Rough cut initiatives and Lebanon’s - Metropolis, will discuss possibilities and initiatives during these times of crisis. Speakers: Steven Markovitz,Salym Fayad, Alex Moussa Sawadogo, Mohamed Ouma and Hania Mroue. Moderated by Jihan El Tahri

The Durban FilmMart and the Palestine Film Institute have been collaborating consistently for the past three years, a partnership rooted in a strong commitment to film industry solidarity. The core objective of this collaboration is to ensure that Palestinian narratives have a crucial platform to engage with international partners and supporters, especially those from the Global South. As part of this ongoing initiative, the Palestine Film Institute will announce the three selected Palestinian projects for the Durban FilmMart during the event.

Cannes Docs  screenings of works-in-progress from Palestinian filmmakers and collaborators seeking production partnerships and next-stage support. Featured projects include Baba by Giacomo Fausti and Laila Sit Aboha, Azziza: In a Cherished Land by Tareq Khalaf, Super Sila by Mohammed Al Shareef, and Gaza Sunbirds by Flavia Cappellini. The screening creates a vital space for project advancement, visibility, and meaningful industry connection at one of the world’s most influential film gatherings.

Located in Lerins 1 Screening Room in the Palais des Festivals.

Co-hosted with the Spanish delegation, this official Marché du Film reception brings together industry guests and the creative teams behind the Cannes Docs projects in an informal setting designed to nurture meaningful conversations to move projects toward completion and expose them to  wider audiences.

Located at The Viewpoint Lérins in the Palais des Festivals.

Meet the Palestinian Filmmakers and producers and hear about  their projects, dreams, and aspirations amidst the realities and challenges of making cinema under conditions of occupation, exile and diaspora. 

The delegation: Dima Abu Ghosh Yaseen, Wasim Kheir and Mariem El-basha, Aida Kaadan, Omar Ramal, Laila Sit Aboha, Tareq Khalaf, Flavia Cappellini, Kristian Van der Heyden, May Jabareen, Bilal Alkhatib, Giacomo Fausti, and Alaa Abu Ghosh.

Hosts Cinéforom, Akka Films and First Hand Films introduce Swiss producers and key industry partners in an evening of exchange, new partnerships, and celebration at the Palestine Pavilion with PFI’s Palestine delegation members to the Cannes Film Festival. This year’s delegation includes four documentary teams presenting at Cannes Docs and four Palestinian producers participating in the Producers Network.

For years, Palestinian institutions and structures have been shaping the future of cinema through culture, education, adopting artistic productions with Sumuod, a word of steadfastness that resonates for the Palestinians. In this panel, Dr. Ezzaldeen Shalah from the Gaza International Festival for Women’s Cinema (GIFWC) by video, and Najwa Najjar (European Film Academy board member and GIFWC President of Jury);  Rashid Masharawi, of the Masharawi Fund and founder of Gaza Film School; Khaled Jarada from The Palestine Animated Collective; and May Jabareen of Philistine Films, will discuss Palestinian ecosystem-building rooted in resilience, imagination and self-determination. Moderated by Salma Abu Ayyash.

The panel is hosted at the Pavilion in collaboration with Vision du Réel, FIFDH (International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights Geneva, and Black Movie.

This event brings together leading voices from French cinema institutions including the Institut Français (IF), the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC), the Syndicat des ditributeurs indépendants (SDI), and the Consulate General of France in Jerusalem. This focused exchange explores collaboration, co-production pathways, distribution opportunities, and stronger ties between Palestinian and French film ecosystems, while offering practical guidance on accessing French government funding and institutional support for Palestinian film projects. Palestinian film makers will also have the opportunity to present their projects and to meet the major actors of these institutions.

Catherine Bizern (Cinéma du Réel), Asako Fujioka (Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival), and Matthijs Wouter Knol (European Film Academy) discuss practical strategies for effectively circulating, championing and maintaining the global visibility of Palestinian cinema through festival programming, institutional advocacy and new distribution pathways. Moderated by Mohanad Yaqubi.

An event honoring the life and legacy of Mohammad Bakri, one of the defining figures of Palestinian cinema, whose work as actor, director, and producer gave an enduring voice to the struggles, dignity, and humanity of his people. The program includes a short film reflecting on his extraordinary artistic journey​ prepared by his son Saleh Bakri on his father’s life​, artistic influence, and lasting impact on generations of film makers in Palestine, ​followed by remarks from his longtime friend and collaborator Rashid Masharawi. Together, the gathering celebrates an artist whose presence on screen carried generations of memory and resistance, and whose legacy will continue to inspire filmmakers and audiences worldwide. A reception will follow.

In these dark days, there is an urgency to think beyond old limitations in order to preserve our stories and ensure their authenticity. It is equally urgent to unite those across the Arab world who share the same dreams, the same hopes and many of the same obstacles. When opportunities are connected, sustainable co-productions possibilities  can emerge. This panel  includes Nadia Eliewat  - Jordan, Mohammed Hefzy - Egypt, Lamia Cherabi - Morocco, Assia Boundaoui (USA/ Algeria) and Abdallah Khatib - Palestine. Moderated by  May Odeh.

Moderated by Sawsan Asfari (Asfari Foundation / Cocoon Films), PFF grantees Rakan Mayasi with his debut feature Yesterday the Eye Didn't Sleep, selected for Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2026, and Tareq Khalaf, participant of the Cannes Docs Palestine Showcase with Aziza in a Cherished Land currently in post-production, and  Selin Murat, Director of the IDFA Bertha Fund, will share firsthand stories of artistic breakthrough, perseverance, and international recognition — and exploring what it takes to bring Palestinian stories from development to the world's screens.

Followed by a presentation of the Palestine Film Fund's First Cycle Impact will highlight what has been built and illuminate the road ahead, offering the unique opportunity to help build a Palestinian cinema ecosystem  as a space of impact, resilience, and creative achievement.

The Palestine Pavilion hosts a celebration of dialogue, collaboration and cinema. Friends, partners, filmmakers and supporters come together with gratitude for the relationships and momentum built throughout the public program of the Palestine Pavilion while looking toward the future work ahead. Featuring live music from Iraq and Palestine that expresses the enduring cultural ties, creativity and solidarity that continue to sustain the region’s artistic life. These tunes are brought to us by the one and only Abu Levant. With the support of Scottish Documentary Institute, Screen Scotland, Lightbox and Noise PR.