
Palestine Film Institute calls for documentary submissions for Cannes Docs 2025
The Palestine Film Institute (PFI) has opened submissions for its eighth annual participation at Cannes Docs at the Marché du Film 2025, taking place from May 13-21. This initiative provides a platform for Palestinian documentary filmmakers to showcase their works-in-progress to an international audience of industry professionals, decision-makers and festival programmers.
Committed to supporting Palestinian documentary films on the global stage, PFI encourages filmmakers and producers to submit their projects before the March 1, 2025 deadline. Selected projects will benefit from strategic coaching by PFI industry consultants ahead of the Marché du Film.
An independent international jury will review submissions, with the chosen teams receiving accreditation, an attendance stipend, and a chance to present their films in a 60-seat screening room at the event. The selected projects will also compete for the Cannes Docs award, which includes a €10,000 cash prize along with post-production support from industry partners.
To apply, filmmakers must submit key project details, including Film title and logline; Synopsis and treatment; Director's statement; Selected scenes and three project stills; Post-production budget and financial plan; Director and producer bios, filmographies, and portraits; and Production company portfolio.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Middle East Eye
2 days ago
- Middle East Eye
Egypt's gas deal critiqued online as 'economic complicity' in Israel's war on Gaza
People online have taken to social media to express outrage over a record $35bn gas deal between Egypt and Israel, accusing Israel of economic complicity in Israel's war on Gaza. Marking the largest export deal in Israel's history, the agreement, announced on Thursday by Israeli energy company NewMed, will see a tripling of Egyptian gas imports from the Israeli Leviathan gas fields, accounting for 130 billion cubic metres (bcm) worth of gas that will be piped from the Israeli offshore field to Egypt through to 2040. Amid the war on Gaza, which several countries, as well as many international rights groups and experts now qualify as an act of genocide, Egypt's decision to import Israeli gas was termed "shameful" online. In the middle of the Israeli genocide against the Palestinians, Egypt sign a $35 billion natural gas deal with Tel Aviv. Shameful. — Vijay Prashad (@vijayprashad) August 7, 2025 Many have also raised concerns over the rightful ownership of the gas resources, arguing that the deal amounts to theft since oil and gas resources in the Mediterranean Sea belonged to Palestinians before the establishment of the Israeli state and the unlawful expulsion of Palestinians in 1948. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "The Egyptian government buys Palestinian gas from the Zionists at a time when they are slaughtering the owners of that gas!" Muhammad Al Shinqiti, author and associate professor of political ethics and history of religion at Hamad bin Khalifa University, posted on X. Former Egyptian MP Dr Hatem Azzam also questioned Israel's ownership of the gas field in a post on X, claiming the gas to be originally Egyptian gas "that was relinquished to the Israeli authority", since the field is located within "Egypt's Exclusive Economic Zone". Salma El Daly, TV presenter for Al Araby, criticised the Egyptian government for making itself dependent on Israel, which "has cut off supply to us multiple times during our greatest times of need, costing us billions and causing losses in electricity and industry". مصر توقع اتفاق بـ35 مليار دولار لاستيراد الغاز من إسرائيل،من عدونا الاستراتيجي،اللي وقف التصدير لنا أكتر من مرة في عزّ احتياجنا، وده كلّفنا مليارات وخسائر في الكهرباء والصناعة. إزاي نربط أمننا الطاقي بدولة مش ضامنين استقرارها ولا نواياها؟ ومجرمة، عدوة للإنسانية والحياة؟#غاز_مصر — Salma el Daly (@salmaeldaly) August 7, 2025 Egypt's record on Gaza While Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has repeatedly condemned Israel's actions in Gaza and labelled the forced displacement of Palestinians as "an injustice that we cannot take part in", the Egyptian government stands accused of aiding and abetting Netanyahu's siege on Gaza. Recently, Egyptian activists have faced harsh repressions for acts of solidarity with Gaza and criticism of Egypt's complicity. In July, two men who stormed the Ma'asara police station in Cairo in protest against Egypt's failure to open the Rafah crossing into Gaza to allow life-saving aid into the territory were forcibly disappeared. Last week, in the wake of a wave of protests in front of Egyptian embassies around the world, Egyptian activist Mohammad Abbas chained shut the gates of the Egyptian and Jordanian embassy in The Hague, Netherlands, as a symbolic gesture in solidarity with Palestinians. 'Egypt's regime was attacking the protests in front of Egyptian embassies around the world that accuse it of participating in the siege of Gaza… and was saying, 'We didn't betray, and we're not imposing a siege.' Suddenly, it goes and signs a gas supply deal with Israel worth $35 billion over 15 years - amid the genocide", Abbas wrote in a post on Facebook. The gas deal between Egypt and Israel, Abbas says, amounts to "economic participation in the genocide". Over 200 Palestinian children and adults in Gaza have died from starvation since Israel's onslaught on Gaza began in October 2023, and more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed. The blockade on the Palestinian enclave has fluctuated in intensity. However, since 2 March, Israel has prevented all food and aid from reaching starving Palestinians. Very limited aid is being allowed in now after international outrage and people being killed by Israeli soldiers and mercenaries while seeking food.


Middle East Eye
2 days ago
- Middle East Eye
Germany halts military exports to Israel in response to Gaza occupation plan
Germany is halting further military exports to Israel that can be used in the Gaza Strip in response to Israel's plan to fully occupy the Palestinian enclave. Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday that the exports were frozen 'until further notice' and expressed concern for the plight of Gaza's Palestinians, who are suffering under Israeli-imposed starvation. This is a developing story…


Middle East Eye
3 days ago
- Middle East Eye
Baby Yahya Sinwar: German hospital faces online fury over newborn's name
A maternity ward in Leipzig, eastern Germany, has sparked a firestorm of controversy after posting an Instagram story celebrating a newborn named "Yahya Sinwar", adorned with three heart emojis. The name, identical to the former leader of the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, has ignited a heated online debate, reflecting the deep divisions surrounding Israel's war on Gaza. On 3 August, Leipzig University Hospital published its daily Instagram welcome posts for newborns. Among the names, showcased on a chalkboard, was 'Yahya Sinwar,' written with a heart dotting the 'i', under the word 'Welcome.' The post, intended as a routine celebration of a new birth, quickly gained traction across social media platforms, drawing both condemnation and support. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Yahya Sinwar, the former head of Hamas's political bureau in Gaza who is now deceased, was widely seen as the chief architect of the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that left around 1,200 people dead and more than 250 taken as captives back to Gaza. Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in southern Gaza in October 2024. For many Palestinians, Sinwar is viewed as a symbol of armed resistance against decades of Israeli occupation. The hospital on Monday issued an apology on Instagram, stating that the staff member who posted the image was unaware of the name's political associations. 'We understand that today's post has evoked negative associations in some people. The staff member who posted the image was unaware that the name is currently associated with a well-known political figure in a highly sensitive geopolitical context.' The hospital emphasised that names are published only with parental consent and announced a review of internal procedures to prevent future oversights. What's in a name? German-Israeli rapper and songwriter Ben Salomo amplified the controversy by sharing a screenshot of the hospital's post on Instagram, condemning the inclusion of Sinwar's name. 'Should it be allowed in Germany to name a child after a terrorist and mass murderer?' he wrote on X, prompting a wave of support from pro-Israel social media users. A person responded, writing, 'You've totally lost it, not all your screws are tight! Honestly, it's none of your damn business what parents name their kids. You wannabe artist'. Others questioned the selective outrage, pointing to a perceived double standard. 'If the child had been named Benjamin Netanyahu, no one would have a problem. Nor with the name Donald,' they said, referring to US President Donald Trump, who has staunchly supported Israel's war while dismissing what leading human rights groups and scholars have described as a genocide taking place in the enclave and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. 'A democracy must endure that,' they added. Many pro-Israelis interpreted the inclusion of the name as a tacit endorsement of violence. One social media user declared: 'Yes, they're glorifying the name of a genocidal terrorist.' Another labelled it 'Absolutely unacceptable,' while others described the hospital's post as 'CELEBRATING TERROR.' Naming a kid Yahya Sinwar in Europe amounts to child abuse, denying the child a fair shot at life by associating him with evil terrorism by name. The parents should be prosecuted. — Colin C. Cortbus (@CCCortbus) August 6, 2025 But others pushed back. On Facebook, some called the backlash for the name "pathetic" and defended the parents' choice and their right to call their baby the name they like. 'So, people cannot name their children because somewhere in the world it hurts the feelings of an inbred zionist?' one person wrote. 'What? It's a baby. Don't be a hater.' another added. Lmao How does a name define a person? Ever use the 'dont judge book' quote. U cry so much about anti semitism when semitism doesnt solely relate to Jewish ppl. U think its ok to insinuate a parents joy should be condemned to pre-conceived suspicion based on yr racist theories? — Badi (@badster01) August 7, 2025 Some pointed out that Yahya is a very common name, with religious significance to it - equivalent to John in English, and Johannes in German. 'By the way: The name 'Yahya' is a melodious name with biblical origins and corresponds to the German 'Johannes' in meaning and tradition.' Am 03.08. um 3:34 Uhr wurde der kleine 'Yahya Sinwar' in der Universitätsklinik Leipzig geboren. Übrigens: Der Name 'Yahya' ist ein klangvoller Name mit biblischem Ursprung und entspricht dem deutschen 'Johannes' in Bedeutung und Tradition. ❤️lichen Glückwunsch an die Eltern‼️ — (@MrWiedman) August 5, 2025 "Afraid of everything—watermelons, children, women, own attorney general, processions, even words like 'river' or 'sea.' Always the victim," another person added on Facebook. The name Yahya is a widely used name across the Arab world. Its popularity has grown in Europe in recent years. According to a 2024 report by the UK's Office for National Statistics, "Yahya" climbed 33 places to rank 93rd among boys' names in England and Wales, with 583 newborns receiving the name. The reason behind why the parents chose this name remains unknown, and the parents have given no official information or made a statement regarding the baby's background or origins.