FRED’s Cristiana Palmieri meets director, screenwriter and producer of the film Villa Touma, which was features in the programme of the 2015 Sydney Film Festival.
SuhaArraf talks to us about her directorial debut Villa Touma, her work as screenwriter and her outlook on Palestinian society as well as the resilience of Palestinian women.
VILLA TOUMA: The film offers a rare glimpse into aristocratic Palestinian Christian society. Three unmarried sisters cling desperately to their former glory, until their orphaned niece arrives to turn their world upside down.
Oscar-winning actress Ellen Burstyn will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival 2026, joining George Clooney among this year's recipients of the prestigious award.
Miroslav Terzić's 3 Weeks After, winner of the Europa Cinemas Label at Karlovy Vary Film Festival 2026: "It's not just about peer violence, but about a violent society, and we are all in it."
Tonia Mishiali's The Lion at My Back, winner of the Ecumenical Jury Grand Prize at Karlovy Vary 2026, is the second chapter of her trilogy on women living on the sidelines
Ivan Ostrochovský's Only Beautiful Things to Look At tackles forced sterilisation through magnificent visuals: "If the film visually goes against the topic, maybe it is scarier."