Palestine Cinema Days Around the World On November 2nd: 253 Free Screenings to Bring Palestine to Global Audiences
Each day, the Palestinian people—martyred since the Nakba, abandoned by the so-called “international community” for decades, and now suffering renewed crimes against humanity in Gaza and the occupied West Bank since October 8, 2023—are further reduced to an abstraction. Horrific acts against the civilian population, graphic images of mutilated, dismembered women and children, seem to stir minimal moral outrage in Western societies. How does this happen? Quite simply, Palestinians are increasingly dehumanized, with their lives no longer perceived as a fundamental universal value. They are cast as an indistinct mass, a faceless crowd on the periphery of humanity. Since September 2024, this dehumanization has tragically extended to the people of Lebanon.
How, then, can we bring the human story back to the heart of this tragedy? By showing the lives of men, women, and children—living, enduring, and hoping. We need to see their daily experiences under occupation, under military rule, under the unrelenting threat from settlers; confined to a narrow strip of land with little chance of leaving or returning. Growing up behind walls that separate them from the world, but also that they share the universal moments of life that bring laughter, joy, sadness, reflection, and connection through culture—a vital window to the world.
Cinema offers a dual lens: it allows people to see themselves and to be seen. Palestinian cinema is alive, vivid, and resonant. It opens a world to us that we cannot afford to overlook.
For the second consecutive year, “Palestine Cinema Days Around the World” is bringing Palestine to audiences worldwide. Amid the escalating violence inflicted on Palestinian civilians in Gaza, across occupied Palestine, and more recently in Lebanon, activists and cultural organizers globally are joining forces. Their mission: to hold space for the lived experiences, stories, histories, and unbreakable spirit of Palestinians—their lives, stolen dreams, and enduring hope. On November 2, 2024, over 250 free screenings of Palestinian films will be held in cities and venues across the world to amplify the Palestinian narrative that is too often forcibly silenced.
“In a testament to the growing people-powered movement for the rights of the Palestinian people, despite the ongoing inaction of Western governments, a growing community of activists and cultural organizers from around the world has come together once again”, explains Filmlab Palestine, the event’s initiator, in partnership with AFLAMUNA and Seen Films. “To this date, 253 screenings of 8 films in 44 countries and over 150 cities (From New York City to Nairobi, to Tokyo) have been confirmed, and we expect this number to grow until the day of the screenings. These allies are hosting the screenings and discussions, using the screenings to fundraise for mutual aid in Lebanon and relief efforts in Palestine, and have volunteered to subtitle the films into Greek, Portuguese, Estonian, and other languages. Film rightsholders (distributors, producers, and filmmakers) agreed to provide their films for free, in a rare disruption of traditional distribution channels, for the cause.”
The Films
Naila And The Uprising by Julia Bacha, Documentary, 76’
A fierce community of women at the frontlines, whose stories weave through the most vibrant, nonviolent mobilization in Palestinian history – the First Intifada in the late 1980s.
The Wanted 18 by Amer Shomali, Paul Cowan, Documentary, 75’
A small Palestinian village bought 18 cows and stopped buying Israeli milk.
Infiltrators by Khaled Jarrar, Documentary, 70’
A visceral Road Movie that chronicles the daily travails of Palestinians of all backgrounds as they seek routes through, under, around, and over a bewildering matrix of barriers.
You can find the film review and the director’s interview (in French) here.
Aida Returns by Carol Mansour, Documentary, 72’
Aida (the director’s mother) struggles with Alzheimer’s and loss of memory, frequently “returning” to Yafa of her youth, until her eventual final return.
Maloul Celebrates its Destruction by Michel Khleifi, Documentary, 31’
Ma’loul is a Palestinian village destroyed in 1948 by the Israeli armed forces. Ever since, its former residents are only allowed to visit it once a year, on the anniversary of the Nakba.
Resistance, Why by Christian Ghazi, Documentary, 56’
Ghassan Kanafani, Sadiq Jalal El-Azm, Nabil Shaath, and others offer their visions of the Palestinian revolution, anchoring it in its history since the early 20th century.
Photo Courtesy of AFLAMUNA
Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege by Abdallah Al Khatib, Documentary, 89’
After the Syrian Revolution, Al-Assad’s regime besieges the district of Yarmouk, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in the world. Yarmouk is cut off. The director records the daily deprivations while celebrating the people’s courage.
You can find the film review (in French) here.
Eleven Days in May by Micheal Winterbottom & Mohammad Sawwaf, Documentary, 85’
Over the course of 11 days in May 2021, at least 67 children were killed in Gaza. Narrated by Kate Winslet and with music by Max Richter, the film tells the story of each child as an individual boy or girl, with their hopes, dreams, and ambitions.
Malik Berkati
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