INTERMEDIATE: The Palestine Film Institute (PFI) has announced the first recipients of its new Palestine Film Fund (PFF) following its launch at the Cannes Film Festival last year.
The first funding round supported six feature films and three short films in various stages of development and production, with financial support of up to 45,000 Euro ($53k).
They address various issues and genres with themes of migration, memory, resistance and resilience that continue through a selection focused on projects that are articulated through authentic Palestinian perspectives. (see full selection below and synopses)
They range from documentaries + 477 At night, about life in Gaza, and The Story of the Mountainfollows children from the West Bank city of Hebron who dream of living in a world without checkpoints, to Three days and three (aka Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep), a family drama exploring tribal culture in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, by Rakan Mayasi, who previously made waves with a short film. See them.
PFI said it has received 167 projects from Palestinian filmmakers around the world, including 74 feature-length projects and 93 short films.
Documentary projects represented the majority of feature submissions (77%), while fiction dominated requests for short films (55%). Directors who identify as male made up 60% of applications, with female directors representing 40%.
“The overwhelming response to our first call shows the urgent need for this fund and the incredible scope of Palestinian storytelling happening around the world,” said Reem Shadid, PFI Executive Board Member.
“These nine projects play an important role in realizing our goal of creating open spaces for Palestinian filmmakers to share their stories and images, without the threat of silencing, censorship and erasure.”
The first round of funding follows a stellar year for Palestinian cinema led by Oscar shortlisted films. Palestine 36 by Annemarie Jacir and All That You Left by Cherien Dabis, and Tarzan Nasser and Cannes Un Certain Regard Cannes Un Certain Regard Best Director for Tarzan Nasser Once in Gaza and Kamal Aljafari’s European Film Award-nominated doctor I’m with Hassan in Gaza.
The first jury of the PFF – which includes the Palestinian writer and director Michel Khleifi, the Egyptian producer, distributor, exhibitor and Artistic Director of the El Gouna Film Festival Marianne Khoury (Egypt), and the Lebanese filmmaker and video artist Rania Stephan – highlighted the role of the fund in developing a new wave of Palestinian cinematographic talent.
“As a jury, we were impressed by the quality of the projects we studied, which showed cinematic maturity, expressed the richness of the Palestinian experience and marked the emergence of a new generation of Palestinian filmmakers,” they said in a joint statement.
“In these times of political erasure, it was difficult to prioritize projects, and we felt that many were worthy of support. That’s why we finally chose to do something different in this first cycle to increase support to nine projects. The jury was drawn to these final projects for the clarity and integrity of their artistic ideas, and the various cinematic languages in which the Palestinians live.”
“They have a strong sense of urgency and popularity, grounded in experience but open to poetic, hybrid, and imaginative forms. Each project demonstrates the power of travel while focusing on Palestinian issues. We wish all filmmakers the best of luck in completing their films.”
The Palestinian Film Fund provides financial and technical support to Palestinian filmmakers working on short, medium, and feature films in various stages of development and production. Priority is given to filmmakers based in Palestine, in low-income countries, or in regions where discrimination against Palestinian voices prevents access to funding opportunities.
The founding partners of the fund include IDFA Bertha Fund, International Media Support (IMS), Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), Intuitive Pictures and Sawsan Asfari, with additional funding from IRIS.
A second call for applications will open in early April 2026
First round of PFI recipients.
Featured movies
The Concrete World (Palestine, Jordan)
Dir. Asmahan Bkerat
After production, the documentary | 90 min
The intimate story of a three-generation Palestinian Bedouin family and their animals on the outskirts of Amman, Jordan, as relentless development reshapes their world. Faced with eviction, displacement and an uncertain future, they struggle to survive in an increasingly uninhabitable and invisible environment.
+ 477 At night (Palestine)
Dir. Aisha Alqraan
Post-production, documentary, 90 minutes
What does it mean to sit among your children and grandchildren, your wife and daughters around you, while the children are playing inside and outside the tent—and suddenly, a single arrow weighing a ton or more falls on you, extinguishing every detail of life and turning you to ashes and the earth black? From here, our documentary begins—telling the story of the life before the life of that family.
Making Things Grow (UK)
Dir. Yasmin Fedda
Development, documentary, 75 min
It reveals the story of the visionary agricultural orphanage Farm School of Deir Amro in Palestine in the 1940s through a collage of archival film, first-person testimony, official documents and personal photographs. Pointing to hope and inspiration for the future, the film explores how the intersection of world, community and family leaves an indelible mark on history.
Three days and three (Belgium, Palestine, Lebanon)
Dir. Rakan Mayasi
After production, hybrid, 100 minutes
In a village shrouded in fog and tribal laws, two sisters enter the night not as daughters, but as offerings—where blood, memory, and silence try to prevent the fire from spreading.
The Story of the Mountain (Palestine)
Dir. Shayma’ Awawdeh
Development, mixed, 60 minutes
In Hebron, occupied Palestine, I film children in a photography workshop imagining a magical mountain that turns into a giant grandmother who can fulfill their dream of destroying a checkpoint at the door of their neighborhood.
They don’t come to the Precious Land (Palestine)
Dir. Tareq Khalaf
After production, documentary, 90 minutes
Worried about the deteriorating political situation in the West Bank, Aziza asks Tareq to leave Palestine and join his family in the US, leaving him and his grandmother alone in the war. Tareq lives in Aziza’s garden, observing her seasonal lifestyle while facing the difficult decision to leave.
Short films
Where the Light Rests
Palestine Film Institute
Trash (Palestine)
Dir. Leen Ms. Kanan
Production, fiction, 15 minutes
In a tense military checkpoint, a Palestinian truck driver’s life is in danger when he reaches for his fallen prayer beads, but his small act of courage turns fear into a silent rebellion, restoring dignity to an oppressive regime.
Issa and the Forest (Palestine)
Dir. Rama Heb
Development, animation, 15 minutes
Issa is a little boy who lives alone on top of a foggy mountain. He spends his days taking care of his horse and a special tree that he needs to water every day. Early one foggy morning, he wakes up to a strange noise outside his hut and finds a mysterious creature cowering in fear. Before Issa can get close to it, the creature runs away and disappears into the nearby forest. Issa decides to follow the creature into the forest, not knowing the dire consequences this decision will have on her future.
Where the Light Rests (Palestine)
Dir. Islam Tuaima
Production, documentary, 15 minutes
After Asmaa loses her husband and children in the war, she lives alone in her sister’s house, surrounded by their memories and her daily habits. The film documents her inner journey through pain, loss, and faith, as she tries to understand the meaning of her children’s existence after their departure. The light in his life becomes a symbol of clarity and hope—revealing that his loved ones have not left the world but “sleep in the light.”
