The Chicago Palestine Film Festival will mark its 25th anniversary with its largest program to date, featuring more than 50 films at the Gene Siskel Film Center from April 11-28, according to a March 23 announcement.
The festival is known for showcasing Palestinian stories and perspectives through film. Organizers say this year’s expanded lineup highlights a diverse range of experiences within the Palestinian diaspora and aims to foster understanding and dialogue among attendees.
Filmmaker Colette Ghunim’s award-winning documentary “Traces of Home” will open the festival. Ghunim, who grew up in suburban Schaumburg and has Palestinian Mexican heritage, documented her family’s journey back to their ancestral homes in Palestine and Mexico. “In the beginning, it was very much just about finding the houses in Mexico and Palestine,” Ghunim said. “I wanted to bring my parents back to both of their childhood homes that they were forced to leave as children … Both of them had never returned.” The film explores themes of displacement, identity, and healing across generations.
Ghunim said visiting both countries for the first time between 2019 and 2020 was transformative for her family. “We went to Palestine first in April 2019… nothing could prepare you for what you see on the ground itself,” she said. Her father returned after seventy years away: “It was just very, very hard, and also very, very eye-opening for my father … to go back after 70 years and be with Palestinians who were just celebrating him so much.” She added that making the documentary helped her family heal together: “It feels like the biggest blessing that I was able to have this medicine, and now it’s packaged and ready to go out.”
Festival outreach coordinator Zeana Badawi highlighted that submissions came from filmmakers around the world: “Filmmakers living in the diaspora… have a unique point of view,” Badawi said. The program includes sold-out screenings such as Cherien Dabis’ Oscar-shortlisted film “All That’s Left of You,” Zain Duraie’s drama “Sink,” Alaa AliAbdallah’s “Palestine Comedy Club,” Jason Osder’s investigative documentary “Who Killed Alex Odeh?”—with Odeh family members attending—and Poh Si Teng’s closing night feature “American Doctor.”
Badawi emphasized community engagement as central to the event: “What’s amazing about our film fest is that we have such a diverse range of people who come,” she said. She also noted her sense of responsibility as part of the diaspora: “As Palestinians, our voices are suppressed all the time… Being able to bring in Palestinian voices… bringing a sense of community as well—that’s what we want to bring to our audience.”
