It can be hard to find a platform that proudly supports Palestinian talent, let alone that showcases it. And so when a streaming-giant like Netflix announces that they’re going to be launching a ‘Palestinian Stories’ collection, where 32 different award-winning films will be available to watch, one has to applaud the platform.
The films will be available to watch on Netflix from Thursday, October 14th, and will showcase films from some of the region’s top film-makers and talents. According to a press release, the collection will be available across the world and new films will be added in the weeks to come. The films that will be featured include the works of some of the region’s most critically-acclaimed film-makers, including but not limited to, Annemarie Jacir, Mai Masri, Mahdi Fleifel, Susan Youssef, May Odeh and Farah Nabulsi.
May Odeh, director of Palestinian film, The Crossing, said “I’m glad to finally have alternative Palestinian films accessible to wide audiences through Netflix. We all in the Palestinian film industry have been eager to share our narrative with the world through our authentic creative productions as an alternative to news reporting. I can’t thank the team at Netflix and Front Row enough for the effort to make this happen.”
One of the films included is Children of Shatila, which is a heartwarming story of two children living in one of the world’s toughest refugee camps in Lebanon. The film shows the all-too-true reality of what several Palestinian refugee children encounter on a daily basis.
Another film included in the collection is The Present, which is an Oscar-nominated short film, based on the daily struggles that several Palestinians face at checkpoints in occupied territories whilst on their daily commutes.
The films fit across a wide range of different genres – but one thing remains consistent: they all tell important and must-see stories of Palestinian lives.
Starting from Thursday, the Palestinian Stories Collection will be available to access via Netflix.com/PalestinianStories and by searching “Palestinian Stories” on Netflix.
