Meet the Team

DC-PFAF 2015 is brought to you through the hard work of our board of directors, comittee members, and several comitted volunteers.

Angelina Jarrouj

Angelina Jarrouj is the grant writer at the Capital Area Food Bank, a non-profit organization working on hunger issues in the DC Metropolitan area. She was involved with the Festival as a volunteer during its first year, and later on became chair of the Finance Committee in 2012. She is a firm believer in that common thread that connects us all as people no matter our experiences, and is proud of the space the Festival has created for stories to be told and shared.

Nehad Khader

Nehad Khader is the managing editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies by day and the chair of DC-PFAF’s Programming Committee by night. She has a background in Black and Palestinian media and literature. An avid lover of the cinema, Nehad's favorite part of working with the festival is previewing the films, curating a program, and meeting the filmmakers.

Noura Erakat

Noura Erakat is an Assistant Professor at George Mason University as well as a human rights attorney. She is a co-founding board member of the Festival and has taken the lead of its Outreach Committee. Noura helped establish the festival in order to highlight Palestine subjectivity outside of the throes of political contestation and in a pure love for art. She believes that if she is good enough in this lifetime, she will be reincarnated as a professional performance artists in the next one.

Tamara Essayyad

Tamara Essayyad is a human rights attorney, fashion designer, and the overall troublemaker and rabble-rouser of DCPFAF. She's had a love for film from the time her siblings stole her copy of the Wizard of Oz at 3 and hid it under the couch, only to find out it was really her mother, who had endured listening to the theme song 59 times and couldn't bear 60. As a board member, Tamara is the general jack of all trades and heads DCPFAF's original media productions.

Siona Peterous

Siona is a DCPFAF Board member and the 2015 chair of the Volunteer Committee. Siona is a full time student at NOVA with plans to transfer in January of 2016. Her decision to study International Relations and Mass Communication was influenced by both her upbringing as a first generation American within the Eritrean diaspora and refugee communities in the D.C. Area, as well as her belief that the arts in all its forms are the most efficient liaison in spreading a message. With that in mind, it's no surprise she's excited to continue working with DCPFAF this year and for many more to come.

Fifi Saba

Fifi Saba is an International Development grants manager focusing on the Middle East and West Africa. Her main areas of interest and experience are women and politics, Palestinian affairs, grants management and NGO. Fifi's passion for art and folklore dance and storytelling brought her to DCPFAF. She believes in the power of story and she has many to tell about Palestine. Fifi is a DCPFAF Board member and the 2015 Fundraising Committee Chair. This is her second year working for the festival.

Nusayba Hammad

Nusayba is a 2015 DCPFAF board member and co-chair of the Outreach Committee. Nusayba is currently self-implementing the Right of Return and does advocacy work for an international organization in Palestine.

Alaa' Odeh

Alaa' Odeh is an international development consultant focusing program management in the Middle East and Africa with a background in public policy, management and international relations. She has worked for US and foreign governments, international organizations and NGOs globally on topics of economic and social development, security, gender and education. Alaa' is a Palestinian activist and film lover and DCPFAF is the perfect fit! As part of the outreach committee, she leads sponsorships working with local organizations to raise awareness about the festival. Alaa' also previews and reviews films for the festival, which is her favorite part of the festival.

Firas Natour

Firas Natour is a Civil engineer and an actor that has been part of the DCPFAF since its third year. He has appeared on several TV shows, short and feature films, in addition to live theater performances. Firas has an obvious love for films, and believes in the power it hold to building up cultural bridges. As part of the design committee, he is responsible for designing and managing the website for the DC Palestinian Films and Arts festival.

Lena Ghannam

Lena Ghannam has been part of the DCPFAF team for the past three years and she is a member of the 2015 design committee. Lena works as a full time Graphic designer and considers art to be both her passion and obsession.

Huda Asfour

Huda Asfour is a Palestinian Biomedical Engineer and a musician. Huda is a founding member and is a member of the steering committee. Huda enjoys dreaming about the growth of the festival and brain storming about mechanisms to make them happen. She is very passionate about arts and believes in their revolutionary powers.

Michael Kamel

Michael Kamel is a student studying Film and Communication at George Mason University. He is entering his third year with DCPFAF as co-chair of Programming and as the man behind the social media magic. Michael loves the constantly evolving landscape of Palestinian cinema and intends to add his name to the list of Palestinian filmmakers in the future.