Kamal Aljafari
Kamal Aljafari | |
|---|---|
 Aljafari at the 78th Locarno Film Festival in 2025 | |
| Born | 1972 (age 52–53) Ramla, Israel |
| Education | Academy of Media Arts Cologne |
| Occupations |
|
| Website | kamalaljafari |
Kamal Aljafari[a] (Arabic: كمال الجعفري; born 1972)[1][2] is a Palestinian filmmaker and visual artist.
Early life
Aljafari was born to a Palestinian family in Ramla.[3] His maternal family is from Jaffa, while his paternal family is from Ramla; both families were internally displaced and resettled to homes that had previously belonged to other Palestinians.[4]
He attended a Catholic school in Jaffa as a child.[5] As a teenager, he served time at a juvenile prison in the Naqab desert during the First Intifada.[6][7] He later attended university in Jerusalem before leaving Palestine for Germany at the age of 26.[4] He graduated from the Academy of Media Arts Cologne.[3] He was based in New York City and Berlin before moving to Paris.[5][8][9][10]
Career
Aljafari directed his first short film, Visit Iraq (2003), while a film student in Germany.[4] In 2009, he was a featured artist at the Robert Flaherty Film Seminar, and was later a Benjamin White Whitney Scholar at Harvard University from 2009 to 2010.[8] His film A Fidai Film (2024) premiered in the Burning Lights competition of Visions du Réel, where it won the Jury Award.[11] His film With Hasan in Gaza (2025) premiered in the international competition of the 78th Locarno Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Golden Leopard.[12][13]
He has served on the juries of:
- Torino Film Festival, International Documentary competition (2016)[14]
- Locarno Film Festival, Leopards of Tomorrow competition (2021)
- IndieLisboa (2024)[15]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Visit Iraq | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film | [4] |
| 2006 | The Roof | Yes | Yes | Yes | [5] | |
| 2007 | Balconies | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film | [4] |
| 2010 | Port of Memory | Yes | Yes | No | [16] | |
| 2015 | Recollection | Yes | Yes | Yes | [5] | |
| 2019 | It's a Long Way from Amphioxus | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film | [1] |
| 2020 | An Unusual Summer | Yes | Yes | Yes | [17] | |
| 2022 | Paradiso, XXXI, 108 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film | [1] |
| 2024 | A Fidai Film | Yes | Yes | Yes | [18] | |
| UNDR | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film | [19] | |
| 2025 | With Hasan in Gaza | Yes | Yes | Yes | [20] |
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camden International Film Festival | 2024 | Cinematic Vision Award | A Fidai Film | Won | [21] |
| Cinéma du Réel | 2010 | Louis Marcorelles Award | Port of Memory | Won | [8] |
| Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival | 2023 | Lab Competition Grand Prix | Paradiso, XXXI, 108 | Nominated | |
| Dokufest | 2024 | International Dox Award | A Fidai Film | Won | |
| Dubai International Film Festival | 2015 | Best Non-Fiction Feature | Recollection | Nominated | |
| FIDMarseille | 2024 | Ciné+ Distribution Aid Prize | A Fidai Film | Won | [22] |
| Renaud Victor Award | Won | ||||
| German Film Critics Association Awards | 2023 | Best Experimental | Paradiso, XXXI, 108 | Won | |
| Guanajuato International Film Festival | 2023 | Best Experimental Short Film | Paradiso, XXXI, 108 | Nominated | |
| Indie Memphis Film Festival | 2024 | Best Departures Feature | A Fidai Film | Nominated | |
| International Cinephile Society Awards | 2025 | Best Documentary | A Fidai Film | Nominated | |
| Lanzarote Film Festival | 2024 | Best Feature Film | A Fidai Film | Won | [23] |
| Locarno Film Festival | 2022 | Leopards of Tomorrow Auteur Competition | Paradiso, XXXI, 108 | Nominated | |
| 2025 | Golden Leopard | With Hasan in Gaza | Pending | ||
| Luxembourg City Film Festival | 2025 | Documentary Award | A Fidai Film | Nominated | |
| Mar del Plata International Film Festival | 2024 | Altered States Competition | A Fidai Film | Nominated | |
| Montreal International Documentary Festival | 2024 | Best International Feature | A Fidai Film | Nominated | |
| Torino Film Festival | 2015 | Best International Documentary Film | Recollection | Nominated | |
| Valladolid International Film Festival | 2024 | Best Documentary | A Fidai Film | Nominated | |
| Visions du Réel | 2024 | Burning Lights Jury Award | A Fidai Film | Won | [24] |
| Yerevan International Film Festival | 2024 | Regional Panorama | A Fidai Film | Nominated |
Notes
- ^ Also written as Kamal Jafari
References
- ^ a b c Dabashi, Hamid (6 October 2023). "How Palestinian director Kamal Aljafari staged a cinematic rebellion". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Marimon, Sílvia (21 February 2025). ""The British, as in Ireland, implemented collective punishment in Palestine"". Ara. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ a b Sheded, Mona (8 August 2025). "Palestine's Kamal Aljafari talks Locarno competitor 'With Hasan In Gaza'". Screen Daily. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Oberto, Davide (3 July 2025). "Accidents, Archives, and Acts of Sabotage: A Conversation with Palestinian Film Director Kamal Aljafari". Untold. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ a b c d Dima, Flavia (17 December 2024). ""The Process of Dehumanization that Happened to the Palestinians": Kamal Aljafari on A Fidai Film". Filmmaker. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Yaqub, Nadia (2014). "Refracted Filmmaking in Muhammad Malas's The Dream and Kamal Aljafari's The Roof". Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication. 7 (2): 152–168. doi:10.1163/18739865-00702004. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Meza, Ed (7 August 2025). "Kamal Aljafari's Locarno Competition Opener 'With Hasan in Gaza' Rediscovers Lost Existence of Land and People". Variety. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ a b c Himada, Nasrin (28 September 2010). "This Place They Dried From The Sea: An Interview with Kamal Aljafari". Montréal Serai. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Meza, Ed (16 February 2024). "Berlin Festival Deals With Impact of the Gaza War, Filmmaker Protests and Cancellations". Variety. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Vivarelli, Nick (29 March 2024). "Palestinian Directors Overseas Watch the War at Home — And Wrestle With Cinema's Role in Conveying the Turmoil". Variety. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Pedersen, Lise (19 March 2024). "Swiss Documentary Festival Visions du Réel Unveils Selection of 165 Films, Including 88 World Premieres". Variety. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (8 July 2025). "Locarno: Radu Jude, Abdellatif Kechiche & 'Viet And Nam' Filmmaker Trương Minh Quý Among Directors Set To Debut New Works In Competition". Deadline. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Balaga, Marta (8 July 2025). "Radu Jude, Abdellatif Kechiche Head to Locarno as Swiss Fest Announces Lineup: An 'Ambitious and Exciting Edition'". Variety. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Scarpa, Vittoria (28 November 2016). "China's The Donor voted Best Film at the Turin Film Festival". Cineuropa. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Vieira, Teresa (10 June 2024). "Rising up at Night is the big winner at IndieLisboa". Cineuropa. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Dale, Martin; Hopewell, John (22 September 2009). "'Sands' wins San Sebastian showcase". Variety. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Meza, Ed (31 May 2021). "'An Unusual Summer' Director Kamal Aljafari on Discovering the Lost Ghosts of Palestine (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (18 January 2023). "Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Fund Backs New Films By Haifaa Al-Mansour, Abderrahmane Sissako, Annemarie Jacir & Cherien Dabis". Deadline. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (4 September 2024). "BFI London Film Festival Lineup: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin To Debut 'Endurance', Baker, Heller, Berger & Abbasi's Trump Movie Among Headline Galas — Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Szalai, Georg (31 July 2025). "'With Hasan in Gaza' Is a Cinematic "Homage to Gaza and Its People" (Exclusive Locarno Trailer)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ Carey, Matthew (16 September 2024). "Camden International Film Festival Announces Awards For 'Kix', 'Patrice: The Movie,' 'A Fidai Film' & More". Deadline. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Lemercier, Fabien (1 July 2024). "Bluish triumphs at FIDMarseille". Cineuropa. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Economou, Vassilis (2 December 2024). "A Fidai Film wins at the 14th Lanzarote Film Festival". Cineuropa. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Pedersen, Lise (19 April 2024). "'The Landscape and the Fury,' 'Rising Up at Night,' 'My Memory Is Full of Ghosts' Win Top Awards at Visions du Réel". Variety. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
