Children Without Childhood

Khadijeh Habashneh (formerly Abu Ali) is a filmmaker, researcher, and consultant. She began working with the Palestine Film Unit as a volunteer, moving on to working full time in 1974 when the film unit evolved into the Palestinian Cinema Institute (PCI). Between 1976 and 1982, she was the Head of the Archive and Cinematheque department at the PCI. She wrote scripts and directed two documentary films including Children Without Childhood, which is also known as Children Nevertheless, and Women from Palestine, which was lost during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982. She was a founding member and worked as member of the executive committee of the General Union of Palestinian Women (GUPW) between 1980 and 2009. She was also a founding member and Vice President at the Center for Women Studies in Jordan (1989-1992). Habashneh has worked extensively on women’s issues as well as cinema, having taught and published a number of books and articles in this field. She has coordinated national campaigns for enhancing women’s participation in elections in Jordan (1996) and in Palestine (2002-2005). Habashneh is also a member of the board of Palestinian Woman Research and Documentation Center (PWRDC), and is involved in various human rights and cultural organizations.