Najwa Najjar

#Fleadh2016: Directors masterclass with Najwa Najjar announced for 28th Galway Film Fleadh

The 28th Galway Film Fleadh, in association with Screen Training Ireland, has announced that Najwa Najjar will be the subject of this year’s Directors Masterclass.

Writer/ Director Najwa Najjar received her BA in Political Science and Economics, MA in Film/Video Production (US). She has worked in both documentary and fiction since 2000. Her critically acclaimed debut was the feature film Pomegranates and Myrrh (2009) picked up 10 international awards, sold worldwide and was released theatrically and screened at over 80 international festivals.

Her latest film, Eyes of a Thief, has already won Best Director and Best Actor awards, and was the Palestinian nomination for the 2015 Oscars. Previous work includes several award- winning films also shown worldwide (Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, Hamptons,): Yasmine Tughani (2006), Naim and Wadee’a (2000), Quintessence of Oblivion (2001), Blue Gold (2004), A Boy Called Mohamad (2002), and They Came from the East which opened the 2004 European Academy Awards.

Najjar produced a collection of short films by international filmmakers Gaza Winter (2009) and is in preproduction on her third feature, a road trip: Son of a Very Important Man.

A speaker on numerous panels on cinema, and a Jury member of several International Film Festivals, Najjar has also reviewed books, and her articles on Palestinian cinema have been published. She has been a reader for the Rawi Sundance Lab for Arab scriptwriters and most recently an advisor the Rawi Sundance Scriptwriter’s Lab for the past two years.

The masterclass will be moderated by director Kieron J. Walsh, a graduate of the Royal College of Art, and a member of BAFTA. Kieron has directed films for the BBC, Working Title, Channel 4, Granada and RTE. In 2006, he founded Bl!nder Films to develop and produce drama and documentary for domestic and international audiences.

The masterclass costs €25 and will take place on Friday the 8th of July from 11am – 1pm in the Radisson Hotel, Galway. Applicants are invited to attend the screening of Eyes of a Thief (Thursday the 7th of July at 4pm THT as part of the masterclass).

To apply for a place, contact Bro?nagh by email: masterclasses@filmfleadh.ie

The application closing date is: 1pm Friday, July 1st