Friday, August 29, 2014
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. EST
Creator of the iconic Palestine-solidarity figure of Handala, the barefoot ten-year-old refugee boy who always has his back to us with hands folded, sometimes carrying a key, Naji Al-Ali is still the most popular cartoon artist in the Arab world, loved for his defense of the ordinary people, and for his criticism of repression and despotism. In spite of strict censorship and widespread illiteracy in the Arab world, the work of Naji Al-Ali achieved remarkable success. His unrelenting cartoons exposed the brutality of the Israeli army and the hypocrisy of the PLO, earning him many powerful enemies. Unfortunately, this led to his early demise. Join us in remembering Naji Al-Ali and his work, on this day, the anniversary of his untimely death on August 29th, 1987. 1999. 52 mins.
For more information about Naji Al-Ali, go to http://www.handala.org/about/.
About the Director
Kasim Abid is an award-winning filmmaker. Originally from Iraq, Abid received his training in cinematography from the Moscow Film Institute, and now works in London as a cameraman. Among his own works, and after the critical acclaim garnered for his film about Naji Al-Ali, he made Surda Check Point while teaching film and TV production in Palestine at Birzeit University. In 2003, in co-founded the Independent Film and TV College in Baghdad, where he continues to conduct media training for young Iraqi film-makers.
