DATE
Thursday, November 30, 2023
6pm
LOCATION
Maysles Documentary Center
343 Malcolm X Blvd
New York, NY 10027
Join the Center for Palestine Studies to celebrate the launch of the English translation of Knights of Cinema: The Story of the Palestine Film Unit by Khadijeh Habashneh. The evening will include a reading from the book, screening exclusive recorded interviews with the author, and sharing various archival images and videos that testify to the foundation of Palestine’s revolutionary cinema. This event is co-presented by Maysles Documentary Center.
Knights of Cinema is an account of the creation of the Palestine Film Unit (PFU) and its founding members, from the photography department in the early years of the Palestinian revolution (1967-1968), to its evolution in the mid-1970's into the Palestinian Cinema Institution. Khadijeh Habashneh weaves her own memories into excerpts from letters and other communications of survivors, friends and PFU family members, with writings by scholars who analyzed the work and the contributions of this remarkable film movement (from the late 1960's to early 1980's). As such the volume offers a unique perspective on this aspect of Palestine film history — which ended with the loss of its archive in the mid 1980's — providing details that have not been previously published in English.
Khadijeh Habashneh (also known as Khadijeh Abu Ali) is a researcher, film maker, and activist for women’s rights and human rights. She worked as a volunteer with the PFU, and became an integral member in 1974, when the unit evolved into the Palestinian Cinema Institution (PCI). From 1976-1982, she worked as the head of the Archive and Cinematheque of the PCI, and wrote and directed two documentaries, including Children Without Childhood, also known as Children Nevertheless. Habashneh has also worked extensively on women’s issues. She was a founding member and served as executive member in the General Union of Palestinian Women (GUPW) from 1980-2009, was a founding member and vice president of the Center for Women’s Studies in Jordan 1989-1997 and taught and published several books and articles in this field.
The 2023-24 Palestine Cuts season is guest curated by Nadine Fattaleh and Nasreen Abd Elal. Palestine Cuts is generously supported by Jeanne and Ken Levy-Church.
Nadine Fattaleh is a Palestinian writer and researcher from Amman. She is currently a PhD student in Media, Culture and Communications at New York University.
Nasreen Abd Elal is a multidisciplinary graphic designer, illustrator, and researcher whose work centers on the intersection of graphic design and justice-oriented movement work. She works as an information designer at Visualizing Palestine. She graduated with a degree in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies from Columbia University in 2021.