News of: Thursday, June 09 2005,
The Dutch-Palestinian documentary maker Hany Abu-Assad will be the key guest on IDFA Amsterdam (International Documentary Festival Amsterdam).
He will present his personal top 10 favourite documentaries. The festival will screen his own films as well.
Hany Abu-Assad achieved international renown with films such as 'Nazareth 2000', 'Rana's Wedding' and the much talked-about documentary Ford Transit(2002). In 1991, he came to IDFA for the first time as a debuting director's assistant on Rashid Masharawi's 'Dar o Dur' (1991, Palestine), which was screened that year in the Palestine-Israel Retrospective.
Hany Abu-Assad's work combines elements from both documentary and fiction film, in order to approach reality in the most effective manner. His widely praised Ford Transit led to heated debates in 2003, when it appeared that some of it had been staged. Aside from their original form, his films are also characterised by his personal vision on daily life in the occupied territories.
The IDFA takes place in Amsterdam from November 24 to December 4.
