PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PR Contact: Salma Abu Ayyash Boston Palestine Film Festival Successful Run for First Ever Boston Palestine Film Festival From its spectacular opening Saturday, September 29, to its jubilant conclusion Sunday, October 7, the first annual Boston Palestine Film Festival left even its organizers surprised by the overwhelming response. The festival of over 40 documentaries, features and shorts, many of which had never before been seen in the U.S, were shown at the Museum of Fine Arts, Coolidge Corner Theatre, Kendall Square Cinema and Harvard University, Harvard Film Archive and Boston College—and were enjoyed by thousands of attendees. Bo Smith, director of the MFA Film Program, called the nine days of screenings "phenomenal." “Our goal all along was to showcase films that contain authentic Palestinian perspectives, experiences and culture,” said festival organizer Michael Rainho. “We feel that we succeeded in this and beyond.” In surveys collected during the festival, people in the audience were very positive and pleased with the festival. Here are some quotes from the audience: "Very impressed. Far more professional and comprehensive than any major 1st year event I can remember," "your festival if it does nothing else shows the human face of the occupation and the real humanity of the Palestinian people," "being a Jewish Israeli I felt that this is an important opportunity to hear the voices that Israeli media will not air," and "I'm so excited that finally the Palestinian voice is being heard in such a public way." The festival featured appearances by several noted international film artists, including Palestinian-Swedish director Lina Makboul (Leila Khaled: Hijacker), Palestinian-Israeli actor/director Juliano Mer-Khamis (Arna’s Children), Palestinian-Chilean director Miguel Littin (La Ultima Luna), Palestinian-American director Nida Sinnokrot (Palestine Blues), and Israeli director Ayelet Bechar (Just Married). Also in attendance for a special retrospective of his work was esteemed Palestinian actor and filmmaker Mohammed Bakri (Private, Jenin Jenin, Since You Left). American director Nicole Ballivian was present for the US premiere of her comedic feature film Driving to Zigzigland. Organizers were overjoyed to see that many of the films played to capacity crowds and that a good number of attendees appeared to be exposed to the issues and culture of Palestine for the first time. For more information: www.bostonpalestinefilmfest.org ######################################## View all BPFF Press Releases The Boston Palestine Film Festival is sponsored by Tawassul, an organization committed to sharing and celebrating Palestinian arts and culture. Tawassul is a program of the Middle East Cultural and Charitable Society (MECCS), a 501 (c) (3) organization. All donations are tax deductible. |
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