Cinéma du Réel 2026 to Spotlight Palestinian Cinema and Ecofeminism
The 48th edition of the Festival du Cinéma du Réel, dedicated to documentaries, essays and experimental cinema, will capture place in Paris from March 21 to 28, 2026. This year’s festival will feature 37 films, including 20 world premieres, and will pay tribute to Palestinian filmmaker Jumana Manna.
A Retrospective on Jumana Manna
A central focus of the festival will be a retrospective dedicated to the work of Jumana Manna. Seven of her films will be screened, offering audiences a comprehensive look at her artistic exploration of power dynamics related to the body, land, and colonial legacies. Manna, who grew up in Jerusalem in the 1990s, works primarily with film and sculpture. Her 2010 film, Blessed Blessed Oblivion, documents the lives of young Palestinian men in East Jerusalem, while her 2022 documentary, Foragers, examines the impact of Israeli nature protection laws on Palestinian traditions. Her upcoming film, expected in 2027, will address the racialization of young Palestinian boys subjected to daily searches by Israeli soldiers and police.
Festival attendees will have three opportunities to engage with Manna directly: on March 23rd at 4:30 p.m. At BULAC (University Library of Languages and Civilizations). on March 26th at 4:30 p.m. During a round table discussion titled “The Modest Form: eco-political gestures of creation” at the Arlequin cinema; and on March 26th following the 9 p.m. Screening of Foragers at the Saint-André des Arts cinema.
“Seeing the Palestinians” – A Programmed Exploration
In collaboration with Jumana Manna, the festival will present a program titled “Seeing the Palestinians,” featuring 23 films spanning from the 1960s to the present day. This selection aims to provide a nuanced portrayal of Palestinian daily life, challenge stereotypes, and offer an alternative narrative to mainstream Western media representations.
The program includes works such as Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Miéville, and Jacques Gorin’s 1976 film, Here and Elsewhere, which parallels the lives of a French family with the experiences of Palestinian fighters in exile. More recent selections include Razan al-Salah’s 2017 film, Our Father Was Born 100 Years Old and So Was the Nakba, which utilizes Google Street View to connect a Palestinian grandmother with her ancestral home in Haifa. Andrés and Francisca Khamis Giacoman’s 2025 documentary, Paisano, will be presented in competition, exploring themes of identity and belonging through the story of Club Deportivo Palestino, a Chilean football club founded by Palestinian immigrants.
The festival will too host prominent figures connected to the Palestinian cause, including filmmaker Mahmoud Nabil Ahmed from Gaza, sociologist and researcher Sbeih Sbeih specializing in Palestine, and director Basma al-Sharif, known for her 2017 docu-fiction film, Ouroboros.
Ecofeminism Takes Center Stage
Beyond the focus on Palestinian cinema, the 48th edition of Cinéma du Réel will dedicate its seventh “Festival Conversations” to ecofeminism. This discussion will explore the intersection of ecological concerns, decolonial thought, and anti-capitalist struggles, drawing on the work of philosopher Emilie Hache and film historians Teresa Castro and Becca Voelcker.
Venues
Screenings and events will be held at several Parisian cinemas, including l’Arlequin, the Théâtre de l’Alliance Française, La Clef, and Le Reflet Médicis.