How Palestinian filmmakers are promoting their message in Egypt

The third edition of the Palestinian Film Week, organized by the Egyptian Association of Film Writers and Critics and the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo, took place on April 18-24 at the Opera House in Cairo. Seventeen Palestinian documentaries and short films shed light on the lives of the Palestinians in the diaspora, the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, and their suffering as a result of the harsh Israeli practices.

“Land Call,” directed by Nagham Nizar, who attended the event, is a short documentary about the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

“I tried to shed light on BDS-related discussions and events to show how the movement is evolving and the challenges it faces as well as the actions taken by its organizers around the world. I wanted to shed light on the organizations that supported this movement and showcase the fruits of their efforts. This movement is one of the Palestinian liberation and salvation tools, which include arms and cinema. I also wanted to show that this movement is posing a threat to Israel as it continues to reveal its violations,” Nizar, the 32-year-old director from Gaza, told Al-Monitor.

The international BDS movement is actively promoting the boycott of Israel, of Israeli companies and of international companies that the movement considers to be complicit in their violations of Palestinian rights. In addition, the movement seeks the boycotting of Israeli sports, cultural and academic institutions and activities, and calls on these institutions to withdraw their investments from all Israeli companies. It does so by showing the Israeli violations committed against the Palestinians such as the construction of the wall in the West Bank and the establishment of settlements.