WCC NEWS: Film “Little Palestine (Diary of a Siege)” wins Interreligious Jury prize

The film “Little Palestine (Diary of a Siege),” directed by Abdallah Al-Khatib, received the prize of the Interreligious Jury at the 52nd Festival Visions du Réel Nyon, held 15-25 April. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC, 2016 28 April 2021 The film depicts how people in the sealed-off Yarmuk refugee camp assert their humanity in the Syrian civil war despite hunger and lack of prospects, while the humanitarian world remains on the sidelines. When a small street choir sings to piano accompaniment and the noise of bombs, their song joins the sad chorale of similar sieges in world history. The film was commended for shedding light on existential, social and spiritual questions as well as human values. The jury is appointed by SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication, and INTERFILM. The prize is endowed with CHF 5,000, donated by the Swiss Catholic Church, the Reformed Churches in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and its Media Departement Média-pro, and the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities. The film “Little Palestine (Diary of a Siege),” directed by Abdallah Al-Khatib, received the prize of the Interreligious Jury at the 52nd Festival Visions du Réel Nyon, held 15-25 April. The film depicts how people in the sealed-off Yarmuk refugee camp assert their humanity in the Syrian civil war despite hunger and lack of prospects, while the humanitarian world remains on the sidelines. When a small street choir sings to piano accompaniment and the noise of bombs, their song joins the sad chorale of similar sieges in world history. The film was commended for shedding light on existential, social and spiritual questions as well as human values. The jury is appointed by SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication, and INTERFILM. The prize is endowed with CHF 5,000, donated by the Swiss Catholic Church, the Reformed Churches in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and its Media Departement Média-pro, and the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities. More about Interfilm See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 350 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland