Friday, April 18, 8:00 p.m. | In the Summer of 1982, the Israeli army invaded Beirut, where 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 The archive contained historical documents of Palestine, including a collection of still and moving images.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 its premise, A FIDAI FILM explores the visual memory of this looting and appropriates images that are now in the hands of Israeli archives. Preceded by IN A MOMENT (2024, dir. Asil Alwadiya, 5 min.), I’LL GET BACK TO YOU (2023, dir. Uday Jubeh, 8 min.), FORGET ME NOT (2023, dir. Mohammed Al Majdalawi, 10 min.), and PINK SWING (2023, dir. Ala’a Al Qaisi, 11 min.).

Awards & Nominations

Winner - Renaud Victor Award, Festival International de Cinéma de Marseille
Winner - Ciné+ Compétition, Festival International de Cinéma de Marseille
Winner - Emerging Cinematic Vision Award, Camden International Film Festival
Winner - Winner International Docs Competition, Dokufest Film Festival

Founded in 2001, the Chicago Palestine Film Festival (CPFF), a program of the Middle East Charitable and Cultural Society Inc., a non-profit organization, is an annual cultural event that serves as a vibrant platform for showcasing the rich and diverse narratives of Palestinian cinema. Film synopses provided by CPFF. Learn more at palestinefilmfest.com.

The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu