Kassem Hawal

In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon and occupied its capital, Beirut. The film is a rare example of a PLO film made after the PLO’s departure from Beirut. It documents the burned and destroyed cultural and educational centers from which Israelis stole films, photographs, and historical and contemporary manuscripts. It includes interviews with key members of the Palestinian cultural scene such as Mahmoud Darwish and Ismail Shammout and those in charge of cultural and educational centers that were destroyed.

In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon and occupied its capital, Beirut. The film is a rare example of a PLO film made after the PLO’s departure from Beirut. It documents the burned and destroyed cultural and educational centers from which Israelis stole films, photographs, and historical and contemporary manuscripts. It includes interviews with key members of the Palestinian cultural scene such as Mahmoud Darwish and Ismail Shammout and those in charge of cultural and educational centers that were destroyed.

Return to Haifa is based on Kanafani’s novel the plot of which takes place in 1967, when Palestinian refugees living in the newly occupied territories had an opportunity to visit the places from which they had been expelled in 1948.

The Marshes area is a cultural extension of the Sumerian civilization by more than seven thousand years. It is the largest ecosystem of its kind in the Middle East and West Asia and constitute two-thirds of southern Iraq. In the year 1975, director Kassem Hawal decided to make a film about the Iraqi Marshes. He then wrote the script, shot the film and completed a 45 minutes documentary. But in 1985 the Iraqi regime had begun to dry it, resulting in humanitarian, cultural, environmental and natural disasters in the area with the disappearance of tens of thousands of residents, air, water and soil pollution and the extinction of countless species of birds, plants and animals. The Government have also burned the original film material, luckily, Kassem kept a copy to share it with the world.

Documentary produced by PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine).

In a suspenseful and dramatic setting, the story unfolds around a night guard who develops feelings for a beautiful widow in the neighborhood he watches over during the night. In the same residence, a painter resides who creates a painting for her. Believing there is a connection between the painter and the widow, the night guard proposes to her, but she rejects him. Subsequently, a burglary occurs in the house, resulting in the theft of the painting. However, a fire breaks out in the night guard's own house, ultimately aiding in the revelation of his crime.

In one of the popular neighborhoods in Baghdad, a disaster unfolds as a group of old houses collapses, causing a tragedy among the impoverished residents. A journalist endeavors to uncover the reasons behind this catastrophe. He discovers that Abu Fahad had constructed the house with non-compliant specifications, leading to its collapse. The journalist writes an investigative piece for the newspaper he works for, but the authorities remain unresponsive. He comes to realize that behind Abu Fahad, there is a wealthy and influential figure shielding him from legal accountability.

In one of the popular neighborhoods in Baghdad, a disaster unfolds as a group of old houses collapses, causing a tragedy among the impoverished residents. A journalist endeavors to uncover the reasons behind this catastrophe. He discovers that Abu Fahad had constructed the house with non-compliant specifications, leading to its collapse. The journalist writes an investigative piece for the newspaper he works for, but the authorities remain unresponsive. He comes to realize that behind Abu Fahad, there is a wealthy and influential figure shielding him from legal accountability.