Media Development Center Publishes Documentary Film Course Manual

The Birzeit University Media Development Center has published a book on documentary films that serves as manual for teaching their production at Palestinian universities and colleges. The book was prepared by Palestinian director George Khleifi, under the supervision of center’s director Nibal Thawabteh and the center’s monitoring and evaluation officer Emad Al-Asfar.

Author Khleifi defines documentaries and then provides a historical review of their production since the beginning of the last century, particularly of Palestinian documentary cinema.

Khleifi addressed then includes a proposed course plan for teaching documentary filmmaking in universities and colleges, as a guide for media teachers and students and those trainees who wish to join the field.

Thawabteh said that the book is an attempt to fill the vacuum caused by the lack of sources and guides in documentary film literature, recognizing that the books available in the university’s libraries are dated and do not keep pace with the growing developments in the media industry.

Thawabteh noted that the center intends to issue a collection of guides for various media courses, as part of the Media Development Initiative that is being implemented in partnership with other Palestinian universities and a national team of 50 government and private institutions, led by the center.

The book is 85 pages and was printed with the support of the German Heinrich Boell Foundation.