Michel Khleifi (Arabic: ميشيل خليفي), born in 1950 in Nazareth, is a Palestinian (48-Palestinian) film writer, director and producer, presently based in Belgium.
Khleifi emigrated to Belgium in 1970, where he studied television and theatre directing at the Institut National Supérieur des Arts du Spectacle (INSAS). After graduating from INSAS, he worked in Belgium television before turning to making his own films. He has directed and produced several documentary and feature films. He has received several awards, including the International Critics’ Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the Golden Shell at San Sebastián International Film Festival and the André Cavens Award in 1987 for his film Wedding in Galilee. Khleifi currently teaches at INSAS.
Haaretz referred to Khleifi as "a trailblazer in bringing the Palestinian perspective to world screens".
Filmography
- Fertile Memory (1980)
- Ma'loul Celebrates its Destruction (1985)
- Wedding in Galilee (also known as Arabic عرس الجليل transliteration Urs al-Jalil (1987)
- Canticle of the Stones (1990)
- L'Ordre du Jour (1993)
- Tale of the Three Jewels (1995)
- Route 181: Fragments of a Journey in Palestine-Israel (2003), in collaboration with Eyal Sivan
- Zindeeq (2009)
Awards
- International Critics Prize, Cannes and the André Cavens Award for Wedding in Galilee (1987)
- Special Jury Prize at Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival for Canticle of the Stones (1991)
- Mayor's Prize, at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival for Route 181: Fragments of a Journey in Palestine-Israel (with Eyal Sivan) (2005)
- Muhr award for "Best Arab Feature Film" at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) (2009)
References
- "Biography". Michel Khleifi. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- Hijazi, Youssef (2004). "Film as a Political Work of Art". Qantara.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2004.
- Rakha, Youssef. "Michel Khleifi: Looking for jewels". ahram.org. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008.
- "Michel Kheifi profile". New York Times.
- Kaplan Sommer, Allison (7 December 2018). "Arab village near Nazareth 'celebrates its destruction' right in the ruins". Haaretz. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- "Tale of the Three Jewels (1995)". Palestine Film Institute. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
External links
Further reading
- Tim Kennedy, "Michel Kleifi: Filmmaker of Memory" in: Josef Gugler (ed.), Ten Arab Filmmakers: Political Dissent and Social Critique, Indiana University Press, 2015, ISBN 978-0-253-01644-7, pp. 52-74
- Gertz, Nurith; Khleifi, George (2008): Palestinian Cinema: Landscape, Trauma, and Memory, Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-22007-6. With:
- Chapter 3: About place and time: The Cinema of Michel Kheifi, pp. 74-100
- Dabashi, Hamid, and Said, Edward (preface) (2006): Dreams Of A Nation: On Palestinian Cinema, Verso Books, London, United Kingdom, ISBN 1-84467-088-0. With:
- Chapter 3: Michel Khleifi: From Reality to Fiction - From Poverty to Expression (pp. 45 -57)
- Chapter 4: Bashir Abu-Manneh: Towards Liberation: Michel Khleifi's Ma'loul and Canticle (pp. 58-69)