HOUSTON, April 29, 2007, (WAFA)- Voices Breaking Boundaries, in Houston, would present for the first time a Houston Palestine Film Festival.

The festival, cosponsored by The Station, Rice Cinema and Fotofest Inc., will take place on May 11-13 and May 18-20, 2007. It would bring not only cutting edge new cinema from Palestine about Palestine but will also present three directors Lina Makboul, Nida Sinnokrot and Elle Flanders along with political analyst/ academic/ journalist (and Angry Arab) As'ad Abu Khalil and Rice University Associate professor Ussama Makdisi,

"A major goal of the Festival is to directly expose our local community to the perspective of artists as a first step toward circumventing the many government and media filters that pollute our understanding of Palestine and the wider region," Breaking Boundaries said in a statement to WAFA.

Some of the films in this year's festival include Waiting / Attente (Dir. Rashid Masharawi) and Leila Khaled, Hijacker (Dir. Lina Makboul). The first annual Houston Palestine Film Festival will include film screenings and conversations with directors and political scientists.

"We are presenting this much needed festival because of the urgency to talk about the issues that don't get covered in mainstream media," says VBB Board Member Hadeel Assali. "Through the films that we present-about marriage, curfews and historical wars-the festival will present an alternative perspective about controversial issues that are urgently in need of a place in public discourse today," Voices Breaking Boundaries stated.

The first annual Houston Palestine Film Festival would bring an honest and independent view of Palestine and its diaspora's society, culture, and political travails through the art of film.

S.A.S. (12:05 P) (09:05 GMT)