Just two years old, the 2016-founded Singapore Palestinian Film Festival (SPFF) has a lot of catching up to do to match its contemporaries in the industry here. But back for a second edition this Jan 4-7 at The Projector, the festival will once again play host to Palestinian filmmakers and artists in Singapore, to tell their stories and alternative narratives. How very timely too.
With just five films on show, the festival is short and sweet; but looks set to pack a punch. Of the five, there’s the feature film Giraffada (2013)—seemingly light-hearted at first glance (there’s a real giraffe involved, after all), but with a narrative largely shaped by the gritty realities of the Palestine-Israel conflict. When I Saw You (2012), Palestine’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, tackles war and statelessness through an 11-year-old’s eyes. And 3000 Nights (2015) tells the true story of a Palestinian school teacher falsely arrested and forced to give birth to her son in an Israeli prison. Fun fact: the drama was shot in a real prison.
It’s heavy stuff, but then again you knew what you were getting yourself into when you clicked on this article. Tickets for certain films aren’t on sale yet, as The Projector is awaiting ratings for them (chop chop, MDA); but you can keep an eye on the entire festival here.
