Diary of an Art Competition (Under Curfew) (Yawmyat Musabaqa Fanniya (Tahta al Hisar) by Omar Al-Qattan (Palestine/U.K., 2003, 16 min., DVD)

Synopsis:
In the early autumn of 2002, seven young Palestinian artists gather in Ramallah to present their work in a group exhibition for the A.M. Qattan Young Artist of the Year 2002 Award. Others, unable to attend because of the total closure of the Gaza Strip where they live, send their work through foreign diplomatic pouches. This poignant video diary recounts the events surrounding the exhibition and explores art’s relationship to resistance, politics and violence.
In English & Arabic with English subtitles.

Biography:
Omar Al-Qattan is a Palestinian-British director, producer and writer. His film credits include, among others, the award winning documentary Dreams and Silence (1990), portraying a Palestinian woman refugee in Jordan and her struggles with the religious and social constraints around her during the first Gulf War. He has collaborated with Palestinian-Belgian filmmaker Michel Kheleifi since 1988 and has produced all of films since then. In 1998, Mr Al-Qattan co-founded the A.M. Qattan Foundation and is director of the organization’s Culture and Science Programme. Recently, he functioned as series director of the highly successful two-part series for American Television (PBS), Muhammad, Legacy of a Prophet. Mr. Al-Qattan regularly contributes articles in English to The New Statesman, Sight & Sound, and, in Arabic, to Al-Hayat and Al-Quds Newspapers in London.


Festivals & Awards:
ICA, London, 2003
San Francisco Arab Film Festival, 2003
Palestinian Film Festival, Jerusalem, 2004