Alicante Hosts Film Festival Showcasing Palestinian Animation

• Palestinian solidarity organizations are hosting the 'Palestine Animated Festival' on September 18–19 at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Alicante (MACA).
• The program features works by professional filmmakers alongside animations created by children and youth living in Gaza and the West Bank.
• All proceeds from the screenings will be donated to support artists and their families who remain in Gaza, continuing to create under dire circumstances.

Key Participants and Works

• Palestinian filmmakers Rami Abbas and Samira Badran will participate in post-screening discussions.
• The opening session features 'The Tower,' an animated film by Norwegian director Mats Grorud.
• Visual artist Samira Badran’s short film 'Memory of the Land' explores the themes of restricted movement, the fragmentation of territory, and the struggle for bodily freedom under colonial occupation.

Context and Purpose

• The 'Palestine Animated' collective formed in response to the ongoing genocide, aiming to combat the dehumanization of Palestinians through art.
• Samira Badran draws on her personal history of displacement and her experiences living under military checkpoints in the West Bank to shape her visual narratives.
• The festival highlights the resilience of Palestinian creators, such as Haneen Koraz, who continues to provide animation workshops to children in Gaza while displaced in refugee tents, using humor and creativity to express a longing for freedom.