This year’s has two main themes. The first is refugees. The second will be covered in a subsequent post. The human waves of refugees escaping the Middle East have been at the forefront of our minds as we have prepared this year’s festival. While Palestinians have been refugees for decades and generations have endured life without a homeland, the sheer scale of human suffering experienced now by the Syrian people and other refugees is beyond comprehension. And for some Palestinian refugees, it has meant being uprooted for a second or third time in the same lifetime. You may have heard of the young piano player Ayham al-Ahmad of Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp near Damascus, Syria. He’s featured in the film by Rashid Masharawi and was known for playing his music to alleviate the
stress and despair caused by the four-year siege on the camp. The people of Yarmouk didn’t want to leave (again). Yarmouk was all they had to remind them of home in Palestine. But after a valiant effort to remain steadfast, even al-Ahmad With these brave and suffering people in mind, BPFF has pulled together a thread of films about refugees and uprootedness that runs through this year’s festival program. We’ll be speaking with Rashid Masharawi from Palestine later this week, so check back on the blog then. Sweat By Hasan Tanji Screens Saturday, October 17, at 12:30 pm Buy Tickets By Rashid Masharawi 
Screens Saturday, Oct 17 at 12:30 pm Director interview coming soon Apart By Sami Shehade Screens Sunday, October 18, at 12:30 pm Buy Tickets By Jennifer Walker Kelley 
Screens Monday, October 19 at 5:00 pm Director in conversation following film Roshmia By Salim Abu Jabal Screens Thursday, October 22 at 5:30 pm Director interview coming soon Buy Tickets By Carole Mansour 
Screens Sunday, October 25 at 12:30 pm Director Mansour and Producer Khalidi in conversation following film Buy Tickets By Antonio Augugliaro, Gabriele Del Grande, and Khaled Soliman Al Nassiry 
Screens Sunday, October 25, at 3:00 pm Director Del Grande in conversation following film Buy Tickets