The poster for the Ciné-Palestine 2025 Festival.
With around 50 films unveiled in more than a dozen screening venues across the Paris region and Marseille, the Ciné-Palestine Festival (FCP) reaffirmed this year its commitment to highlighting the voices of Palestinian cinema.
The collective chose the focus "Permission to Narrate," raising the question of the cinema's role in the face of "consent to ethnic cleansing" and the lack of reaction from most Western media and governments to "even the most frontal images."
G.*, a member and vice-president of the collective in Paris, emphasized the importance of verbalization: "Given the context, it was impossible to focus on a single subject. We decided to do something global: the right to narrate, the right to tell one's story, the right to speak about Palestine. We notice a strong desire to create, a certain idea of struggle and resistance found among the filmmakers we work with."
The issue of speech took center stage, and many filmmakers were invited again this year. In Marseille, for instance, in collaboration with Ma’an For Gaza Artists, two round tables at the Polygone étoilé on May 23 brought together Marianne Barakat (director), Nada al-Omari (director), Monica Maurer (director), Mathijs Poppe (director), Theo Panagopoulos (director) and Diana Allan (director).
The film by Lebanese Marianne Barakat, "Mawtini" ("My Homeland"), opened the festival in Marseille the day before at the Variétés cinema.
In the same city, note this year's presence of "Some strings," a program projecting short films responding to a poem by Refaat Alareer, a Palestinian poet and professor killed in 2023 by an Israeli army bombing, in which he invites to pull "a few pieces of string" to make a kite, a symbol of hope in the Palestinian sky.
The annual short film competition revealed new talents from both the Palestinian territories and the diaspora. Following a project call, the committee selected five films and presented them during the festival.
The collectively developed program highlighted films in various genres – fiction, documentaries, comedies and dramas – to go beyond clichés and offer a richer vision of Palestinian society.
This year, the Marseille collective invited the "Queer for Palestine" festival to participate in a sequence, further embedding it in an international dynamic of solidarity and struggle against pinkwashing.
"This session is part of a broader movement and places the FCP in an international dynamic: This festival will take place in several countries worldwide," said A.*, a collective member based in Beirut.
Two cities, one cause
Created in 2015 in Paris by a group of movie enthusiasts, the FCP established a short film competition in 2017 aimed at "showcasing and amplifying the new voices of Palestinian cinema and supporting the visibility of these emerging voices," explained A.
In 2022, the FCP expanded to Marseille, which gradually became autonomous; hence, the programs were completely distinct during 2025 but still synergized with Paris.
Today, the FCP team includes nearly 35 people (not counting volunteers) who work all year round to organize this festival, along with a volunteer translation team that makes the films accessible to Francophone audiences and distributes them internationally.
In addition to public and institutional support, the FCP strives to develop an economic model that partially relies on self-financing, notably through organizing two to three support concerts for fundraising or selling merchandise (tote bags, T-shirts) during events.
This year, with help from the Arab Fund for Arts & Culture (AFAC), the FCP further developed its mentorship program: After a participation call on social media, the FCP invited three Palestinian filmmakers to a one-month residency, mentored by three mentors residing in France.
Meanwhile, the presence of a monthly film club, featuring films from the previous year's edition, helps promote Palestinian films and strengthens this awareness-raising work.
"We have gained a lot in visibility: We did plenty of collaborations and events this year, outside the festival. It allowed us to be a gateway for a new audience," explained G.
A. mentioned that "in Lebanon, film club sessions were organized at the Sursock Museum, Station and Chatila in partnership with CIC," proving the expansion of activities both in France and abroad.
After Marseille, the Ciné-Palestine Festival moved to Paris and Île-de-France from May 29 to June 8. There are many opportunities in theaters to share other stories and bring Palestinian cinema to life.
*The interviewees wished to remain anonymous.
