Person

Mustafa Abu Ali

Directing

Mustafa Abu Ali ( مصطفى أبو علي) was a Palestinian filmmaker. Abu Ali studied at the University of California-Berkeley in the 1960s before studying cinema in London, graduating in 1967. He is considered one of the founders of Palestinian cinema, and the Palestinian Cinema Association in Beirut in 1973, (re-established in Ramallah in 2004). Along with Sulafa Jadallah and Hani Jowharieh, he established the Palestine Film Unit (PFU)--which saw its primary task as "documenting the revolution and creating an archive of images of historical documents". After the PLO's move to Lebanon after the events of Black September, the PFU was renamed the Palestine Cinema Institute and became one of the seven departments of the PLO's Unified Media. Abu Ali headed the department from 1973 to 1975. Abu Ali wrote four screenplays and directed more than 30 films, for which he won more than 14 awards, the most recent from the 2003 Ismailia Film Festival.

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  Kings and Extras: Digging for a Palestinian Image

  The Believer

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  Here and Elsewhere

  Assistant Director

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  Tall el Zaatar

  Director

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  A Zionist Aggression

  Director

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  Red Army/PFLP: Declaration of World War

  1971

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  Palestine in the Eye

  Director

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  Scenes of the Occupation from Gaza

  Director

• On the Road to Victory

  Director

• With Blood and Soul

  Director

• No to a Peaceful Solution

  Director

• 2026Kings and Extras: Digging for a Palestinian ImageThe Believer
• 1977Tall el ZaatarDirector
• 1977Palestine in the EyeDirector
• 1977Tel al Zaatar outtakesDirector
• 1976Here and ElsewhereAssistant Director
• 1975On the Road to VictoryDirector
• 1974They Do Not ExistDirector
• 1973Scenes of the Occupation from GazaDirector
• 1973A Zionist AggressionDirector
• 1971Red Army/PFLP: Declaration of World War
• 1971With Blood and SoulDirector
• 1968No to a Peaceful SolutionDirector
• 1968The Palestinian RightDirector