What we do
We aim to shine a light on Palestine – its people, history, culture and society – through showing compelling and thought-provoking films that are not readily available to general audiences in and around Leeds.
We show films that:
* delve beneath one-dimensional views of Palestinian people and politics
* include documentaries and feature films, rare works and art pieces
*are serious and light-hearted, painful and joyful
* are made by Palestinians and filmmakers internationally, established and emerging
have both popular and specialist appeal
Since the Festival launched in 2015, about 4,000 people have attended our screenings, with audience numbers rising over the years. In March 2017 we added two special showings to celebrate International Women’s Day; in 2018 we worked with Northern Women for Palestine to produce an event about the continuing Nakba and in 2019, we had some screenings with guest speakers. This included Sir David Hare talking about 'Wall', an animated adaptation of his monologue about the impact of the Israel-Palestine conflict on both sides of the barrier.
Many screenings are enhanced with
guest film-makers and commentators
stalls selling Palestinian produce
food and refreshments
information about ways of supporting the Palestinian people
We are planning for a festival with 'live' screenings in November 2020. If gatherings of this nature are still not allowed due to Covid-19 precautions we will carry forward all successful entries to a later date.
Where possible our films are ‘pay as you feel’ and we provide full information on disabled access.