Netflix launched its Palestinian Stories collection today for viewers around the world, showcasing films either helmed by Palestinian filmmakers or about Palestinian stories.
The collection includes award-winning titles like A Man Returned by Mahdi Fleifel, Like 20 Impossibles by Annemarie Jacir and The Crossing by May Odeh. The collection will launch with 32 films, with more to be added over the next few weeks.
“I’m glad to finally have alternative Palestinian films accessible to wide audiences through Netflix,” said director and producer May Odeh. “We all in the Palestinian film industry have been eager to share our narrative with the world through our authentic creative productions as an alternative to news reporting.”
Spanning multiple genres and styles, the collection will showcase the depth and diversity of the Palestinian experience, exploring lives, dreams, families, friendships, and love. Palestinian Stories also features the works of critically-acclaimed directors like Elia Suleiman, Mai Masri, Susan Youssef, Farah Nabulsi and more.
“We believe that great stories travel beyond their place of origin, are told in different languages and enjoyed by people from all walks of life and, with the Palestinian Stories collection, we hope to amplify these beautiful stories to a global audience,” said Nuha El Tayeb, Netflix’s director of Content Acquisitions for the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey.
“While these stories are distinctly and authentically Arab, the themes are quintessentially human, and will resonate with audiences across the world,” she added.
Some of the films, including The Present, Pomegranate and Myrrh and Eyes of a Thief, are already on Netflix and will now go under the Palestinian Stories collection for ease of access.
Other films introduced to the collection include: Frontiers of Dreams and Fears, A Man Returned, Children of Shatila, Maradona’s Legs, 3000 Nights, In Vitro, Bonbone, and Ghost Hunting.
“Finally! A larger audience can have this exceptional opportunity to avoid all social obligations and binge watch my films in one sitting,” said director Mahdi Fleifel, who is behind works such as A Drowning Man, Xenos, and A World Not Ours.The Palestinian Stories Collection can be accessed via Netflix.com/PalestinianStories and by searching “Palestinian Stories” on Netflix.