The 2007 Al-Kasaba International Film Festival was held from 17-30 November in Ramallah, Palestine.

The second annual Al-Kasaba International Film Festival wrapped up this weekend, having presented to Palestinian audiences two full weeks of Palestinian and international films at the historic Al-Kasaba Theatre and Cinematheque in Ramallah. After the success of last year's festival, the first major international film festival in the occupied Palestinian territories, this year's event showcased over 30 features, documentaries, and short films from Palestine, the Arab world, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Palestinian film, which has been increasing in prominence on the international film scene in recent years, made up a significant part of the festival's program. Features and documentaries by local directors touched on a range of issues, from the controversial topic of honor killings in Palestine (Buthina Khoury's Maria's Grotto), to the absurdities and difficulties of living under Israeli occupation (Larisa Sansour's Happy Days).

Palestines, a French-Palestinian production, follows three young Palestinians who face similar challenges in attempting to work and lead a normal life under the highly abnormal circumstances of military occupation. In the comedy Driving to Zigzagland, Palestinian actor Bashar Da'as plays a Palestinian cab driver in Los Angeles who is struggling to make a name for himself in Hollywood. Instead, he quickly finds himself engulfed in the complexities and difficulties of being an Arab in post-9/11 America.

Several recent films from elsewhere in the Arab world were also screened, including the critically acclaimed Rome, Rather Than You, a moving portrait of disaffected youth in a politically and economically unstable Algeria facing the difficult choice between struggling at home and emigrating to Europe in search of a better life. Similar themes are explored in Michel Kammoun's Falafel, which follows a young Lebanese man in contemporary Beirut, a city still rattled by decades of conflict and instability.

Related stories Sabreen Association for Artistic Development Film Review: "USA vs Al-Arian" Olive trees in Palestine: The story of a drop

This year's festival also featured a special Euro-Palestinian film week, organized jointly by the Al-Kasaba theater and several European donor countries as an initiative to promote cultural exchange through the screening of international films and visits to Palestine by European directors.

The festival's opening film was Rachid Bouchareb's Academy-Award nominated Days of Glory. It tells the story of a group of young men from the French colonies in North Africa who enlist to fight with the Allies in World War II, but soon discover that they occupy unequal positions in their battalions and face substantial discrimination. Features and documentaries from Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, and Italy were also screened over the course of the festival's two week line up.

With the successful conclusion of its second International Film Festival, the Al-Kasaba Theatre and Cinematheque has cemented its reputation as one of the most active promoters of contemporary arts and culture in Palestine. Located in the heart of Ramallah, Al-Kasaba stands as the only fully-functioning cinema and theatrical performance venue in the occupied Palestinian territories. Reopened in 2000 after a complete restoration and renovation, it became the first cinema to open in Palestine after the sweeping closure of entertainment facilities by Israel at the start of the first Intifada in 1987. Al-Kasaba hosts regular theatrical performances, and screens three films daily, year round.

For more information, please visit http://www.alkasaba.org.