By Leanne O’Brien

Palestinian culture may be unfamiliar to some students in Boston, but that may be dispelled at an upcoming film festival.

The first Palestine Film Festival includes 43 films by fledgling directors as well as rare vintage films, US premieres and award winners. It will run Sept. 29 to Oct. 7, with films screened at Harvard University, the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Kendall Square Cinema and Coolidge Corner Theatre.

The festival begins at the MFA, with screening of Lina Makboul’s “Leila Khaled: Hijacker” at 7:15 p.m. Saturday. The screening will be followed by a performance by violin virtuoso Simon Shaheen.

In addition to live music, the event will feature catering by Casablanca Restaurant. The opening party of the Palestine Film Festival marks the beginning of a nine day celebration of Palestinian film and culture.

Salma Ayyash, a member of the film festival’s organizing committee, said the festival is breaking ground for Palestinian film.

“Although some organizations have done film series on Palestine in the past, this is the biggest undertaking for a full-fledged film festival,” she said.

The festival is sponsored by a cultural organization called Tawassul, said Ayyash.

“Tawassul’s mission is to promote Palestinian arts and culture. This festival is a cultural event whose primary goal is the sharing of Palestinian experience and perspectives through the cinematic arts,” she said. “Palestinian cinema has a strong presence, as this festival demonstrates. These films are very powerful and people interested in film in general should be exposed to Palestinian cinema. And we are bringing this art to the area.”

The festival will provide a glimpse into the lives of Palestinians living in Palestinian territories and abroad. The films’ subject matter ranges from documentaries concerning the struggles of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation to comedy.

One film, “Driving to Zigzigland,” follows a Palestinian cab driver in Los Angeles for 24 hours and highlights the challenges of being an Arabic immigrant in post-September 11 America. Another film, “Just Married,” tells of the dilemma facing Palestinians who marry Arabic Israeli citizens despite the law enacted in 2003 that bars such couples from living together in Israel.

Ayyash said she encourages college students to come to the festival.

“College students should come for two reasons: many of the films – like ‘Driving to Zigzigland’ – are very fun, and strong. … Also there has been a blackout on Palestinian narrative and perspective in this country, so the films are educational in this respect,” she said.

Middle Eastern Studies professor Ilham Khuri-Makdisi said the festival will give an opportunity to gain an understanding of current affairs in the middle East.

“[The festival] is important because it humanizes a culture that in the US is often portrayed as [having a mindset of] ‘They’re all terrorists.’ It allows an insight into a culture that doesn’t get a lot of attention in the US,” she said.

Denis Sullivan, a professor of political science, said film is an effective medium because it elicits a human connection easier than reading from a text book or a newspaper.

“The Palestine Film Festival helps to personalize both the Palestinian story as well as the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Palestinians have their own rich history, their own issues and internal struggles, as well as the conflict with Israel,” he said. “Hopefully through this film festival, an American audience will be able to see a lot more of the context of what it means to be a Palestinian.”

The festival will give exposure to a region that most college students will never visit – it gives an opportunity to experience the art and culture of Palestine, instead of relying solely on American media coverage for information about the region.

“To understand the Palestinian story, we Americans should rely on a variety of vehicles, not just history books, political analyses and the media, but also novels, films, poetry, dance, theater, musical expression and other artistic forms of expression,” Sullivan said.

The festival opening party costs $15 for students ($20 for non-students). Some of the films are free, while others cost between $8 to $9 for admission; for some of the films the directors will be present. For more information visit www.bostonpalestinefilmfest.org.