Arab Cinema Center to return in Berlinale, reveal final stage of deciding top 75 Palestinian films

The Arab Cinema Center (ACC) is continuing its notable activities in international cinematic fora by launching the 18th issue of the Arab Cinema Magazine during the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), which is running from February 16th to the 26th.

 

The issue features an introduction to the newest members of the voting committee for the Critics Awards for Arab Films — the current edition includes 28 new critics — which debuted in 2017 at the Cannes Film Festival and includes 191 critics from 72 countries worldwide.

 

The critics will vote on the Arab cinema industry's best achievements to determine the winners in the upcoming edition of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

 

The issue is also picking up where it left off in terms of celebrating Palestinian cinema and influential Arab female filmmakers, and shedding light on significant Arab films featuring in international festivals in the 2023 winter festival run (Berlin, Rotterdam, and Sundance).

 

The magazine covers notable Arab films for 2022 as well and contains a statistical report on the Arab film industry's developments over the last five years in terms of revenues, box office, theaters, film production, and paid platforms.

 

Also, under the title ‘75 years of Palestinian Cinema’, the ACC launched an initiative shedding light on the most important Palestinian films and filmmakers since 1946.

 

The 18th issue includes the announcement of the final phase, which involves the announcement of the expanded jury of selected film industry professionals from Arabs and foreigners to select the final list of the top 75 Palestinian films (1946 - 2021).

 

The committee's membership includes a group of leading Arab directors and artists, as well as a group of experts in production, distribution, film finance, and festivals from around the world, along with 200 Arab and foreign critics from the Critics Awards that served on the juries for Arab Film Categories.

 

“We’re thrilled to launch the Arab Cinema Magazine’s 18th issue, and to continue serving as a global window on the Arab film industry for the seventh year in a row,” said Maher Diab and Alaa Karkouti — Co-Founders of the Arab Cinema Center.

 

"This issue highlights the ACC's most recent notable activities and events, foremost of which are the Palestinian Cinema Initiative and the close-up on Arab women in the film industry," he added.

 

"The significance of this issue lies in its return to Berlinale after a two-year hiatus due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic," commented AC Magazine's Editorial Director Colin Brown.

 

“This issue includes topics that take a close look at the Arab cinema industry, specifically Palestinian cinema, presenting the difficulties and questions facing Palestinian filmmakers, in addition to a file tackling the Arab film industry's developments over the last five years and focusing on the rapid growth of the film industry in Saudi Arabia, which has seen remarkable developments despite the repercussions of the pandemic.”