Cinema of Palestinian Return
Friday, May 3 – Saturday, May 18
Anthology Film Archives

The month of May marks the 76th year of the nakba, a commemoration soaked in the blood of Gaza, whose people have faced relentless massacre and dispossession by Western and Zionist forces. Preserving, circulating, and politically engaging with the cultural production of the Palestinian struggle is a minimum demand. The films that emerged from this struggle are tethered to the dreams of the Palestinian people, who despite setback and catastrophe continue to assert their right to return to their homeland.
 
“Cinema of Palestinian Return” is guest-programmed by Kaleem Hawa and Nadine Fattaleh.

EGYPT
Yousry Nasrallah
THE GATE OF THE SUN / BAB EL SHAMS
2004, 278 min, 35mm-to-DCP. In Arabic with English subtitles. U.S. premiere of brand-new restoration!
“A four-hour epic, THE GATE OF THE SUN is Yousry Nasrallah’s powerful adaptation of Lebanese writer Elias Khoury’s novel of fifty years of Palestinian dispossession, exile, and resistance. The film follows the flight of Younes, his wife Nahila, and those around them, from their village in northern Palestine to a refugee camp in Lebanon. Some vow to continue the struggle, most simply struggle to survive. Unsparingly detailing the impact of the nakba on Palestinian life and society, and the refugees’ relationship with the Lebanese people, THE GATE OF THE SUN spans generations, mixing personal stories with historical events.” –NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL