The term “Fidai” denotes a cinema genre centered on themes of resistance and guerrilla warfare, particularly within the Palestinian context. Directed by the Palestinian filmmaker Kamal Aljafari, this powerful documentary takes as a premise the 1982 Israeli invasion of Beirut. During this time, the Israeli army raided the Palestinian Research Center, looting its archive that held vital historical documents and images. In response to this cultural loss, Aljafari crafts a counter-narrative, employing a blend of documentary and experimental techniques to reclaim the stolen memories of Palestinian history. Through poignant imagery and sound, the film explores themes of identity, memory, and resistance, aiming to restore what was taken.
Palestinian filmmaker Kamal Aljafari studied at the Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln and currently lives in Berlin. He has taught filmmaking at The New School (New York) and the DFFB (Berlin). He is a fellow at the Institute for Ideas and Imagination of Columbia University. In May 2024, IndieLisboa dedicated a retrospective to his work. In 2024 his film UNDR was selected at IFFR and A Fidai Film at Visions du Réel, where it won the Grand Jury Prize Burning Lights Competition. Aljafari is currently working on a fiction film to be shot in Jaffa.
