8th Annual Chicago Palestine Film Festival begins April 18

The Chicago Palestine Film Festival committee happily announces the selections and schedule for the 8th annual film festival in Chicago this spring. This year’s lineup includes various works from Palestinian, American, European and other filmmakers. The festival will take place from April 18 - 30 at the Gene Siskel Film Center. The opening night feature will be Salt of this Sea by acclaimed director Annemarie Jacir, who will also make an in-person appearance and will be available for dialogue and a Q&A session after the screening on opening night, Saturday, April 18th beginning at 8:00 PM. The Chicago Palestine Film Festival will host a reception opening night prior to the film at the Gene Siskel Film Center beginning at 6:30 PM.

Salt of this Sea debuted as an Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008. The award-winning feature has garnered high-acclaim since its release last spring. The story follows American-born Soraya (played by actress and poet Suheir Hammad) and her contentious entry into Israel to reclaim her grandfather’s bank account on a trip to Jaffa, where the reality of her family’s missing legacy sets in. Soraya’s determination to assume a Palestinian identity and history finds an ironic counterpoint in the resolve of her Palestinian-born new lover Emad (played by actor Saleh Bakri) to leave it all behind. The film is shot in Arabic with English subtitles.

Also included in this year’s line-up is the latest work of documentary filmmaker Buthina Canaan Khoury -- Taste the Revolution. Khoury will be present for dialogue and a Q&A session after the film’s screening on Saturday, April 25 at 5:30 PM. Taste the Revolution is a personal story about Khoury’s family’s struggle to open the only micro-brewery, Taybeh Brewery, in Palestine despite the occupation and obstacles of unpredictable life in Palestine.

The majority of the screenings will be held at the Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago's premier venue for independent and world cinema, located at 164 N. State St. A selection of films will also be screened for free at St. Xavier University at 3700 W. 103rd Street in Chicago on April 13, 15, and 17 from 7:00-9:00 PM. For a complete schedule and listing of this year’s films, visit www.palestinefilmfest.com.

Tickets to films at the Gene Siskel Film Center are $9 general admission, $7 for students with school ID, $4 for students and faculty of the School of the Art Institute and staff of the Art Institute, $5 for Film Center members and the screenings at St. Xavier University are free. Tickets may be purchased at the Film Center Box Office, which opens at 5:00 PM Monday-Friday and at 2:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday. General admission tickets are also available through Ticketmaster, 312-575-8000, www.ticketmaster.com, and all Ticketmaster outlets. For more information about tickets or the Gene Siskel Film Center call 312-846-2800 (24-hour movie hotline) or 312-846-2600 (general information, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday-Friday), or log on www.siskelfilmcenter.org.

The 8th Annual Chicago Palestine Film Festival 2009 is generously sponsored by The Crossroads Fund for Social Change, Electronic Intifada, and The Jerusalem Fund. Personal donations to the CPFF are also accepted at any time.

For more information, to setup a film review or to make a donation, contact:
Carla Dabis
Chicago Palestine Film Festival
219-308-5765
carla@palestinefilmfest.com

About the Chicago Palestinian Film Festival
The Chicago Palestine Film Festival (CPFF) is an independent, not-for-profit, nonsectarian project based in Chicago that exhibits and promotes films by Palestinian directors and films about Palestine. CPFF is dedicated to presenting a film festival that is open, critical, and reflective of the culture, experience and vision of the filmmakers.

The Festival began in 2001 and continues to be organized by a group of dedicated volunteers. We are supported by a local community of individuals, small businesses, and organizations. The Chicago Palestine Film Festival is a program service of the Middle East Cultural and Charitable Society, a 501(c)3 charitable organization.