The Palestinian Independent Film Festival (PIFF) is a grassroots, non-profit cultural initiative dedicated to Palestinian cinema. Emerging from a collective need for an autonomous space for Palestinian filmmakers and audiences, PIFF was founded through collaboration between Palestinian and non-Palestinian cultural workers, activists, artists, and filmmakers.

PIFF is not a conventional film festival. It is a collective cultural practice rooted in independence, shared responsibility, and solidarity. The festival screens exclusively Palestinian films made by Palestinian filmmakers, whether based in Palestine or in the diaspora. This is a deliberate political and artistic choice — to protect narrative sovereignty and affirm the right of Palestinians to tell their own stories, free from external control, funding conditions, or censorship.

What distinguishes PIFF is its decentralized model. Each edition takes place simultaneously across multiple cities, organized by local cultural groups working within a shared framework and common values. This horizontal structure allows the festival to grow through trust, collaboration, and collective decision-making, rather than institutional expansion or hierarchy.

PIFF understands cinema as more than representation. Film is approached as a tool of resistance, memory, and imagination — a means to challenge dominant narratives, reclaim erased histories, and open spaces for critical dialogue. While PIFF places a strong emphasis on Palestinian voices and the Palestinian struggle, it also situates these narratives within a wider global context, recognizing the interconnectedness of struggles against colonialism, oppression, and injustice worldwide. Through cultural resistance, PIFF seeks to build bridges between movements and amplify marginalized voices beyond borders.

In addition to screenings, PIFF editions often include discussions, educational activities, and community-based events that invite audiences to engage collectively with urgent cultural and political questions.

All PIFF events and editions are organized on a non-profit basis and remain fully independent from governmental, institutional, and corporate funding. PIFF is not a registered NGO, but a network of grassroots collectives and groups working together through collective labor, volunteering, and community support.

PIFF is not owned by any institution or entity. It belongs to the people who organize it, participate in it, and sustain it. Across all its locations, PIFF stands as a declaration of presence and a shared commitment to building strong, connected communities and imagining freer cultural futures through cinema.