A Fidai Film
Qumra Screenings - Qumra 2024
Kamal Aljafari / Palestine, Germany, Qatar / 2024 / 78 min / Colour / DCP2K / In / subtitles
Themes:
Rated: 
Mature subject matter. May not be suitable for minors. Individuals under the age of 15 are not admitted into cinemas
Description
In the summer of 1982, the Israeli army invaded Beirut. During this time, it raided the Palestinian Research Center and looted its entire archive. The archive contained historical documents of Palestine, including a collection of still and moving images. Taking this as a premise, 'A Fidai Film' aims to create a counter-narrative to this loss, presenting a form of cinematic sabotage that seeks to reclaim and restore the looted memories of Palestinian history. It’s a poignant exploration of identity, memory, and resistance, told through a unique blend of documentary and experimental filmmaking techniques.
Director
Kamal Aljafari
Kamal Aljafari is a Palestinian filmmaker renowned for his distinctive approach to cinema. After studying at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne, he now resides in Berlin, Germany. Aljafari has shared his expertise in filmmaking through teaching positions at The New School in New York and the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie in Berlin. His contributions to the field were recognised with a fellowship at the Film Study Center Radcliffe at Harvard University. In 2021, the Olhar de Cinema – Curitiba International Film Festival in Brazil highlighted his contributions to cinema by dedicating its Focus Section to his work. Additionally, his installation “The Camera of the Dispossessed” was showcased at the 35th Bienal de São Paulo (2023). His short film ‘UNDR’ made its debut at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) in 2024. Aljafari recently completed ‘A Fidai Film’ and is currently developing a fiction film set to be shot in Jaffa.
Credits
- Screenwriter
- Kamal Aljafari
- Producer
- Kamal Aljafari
- Editor
- Yannig Willmann