Showcasing a diverse and innovative selection of films from around the world, the Palestinian Film Festival is a cinematic journey of creative, thought-provoking storytelling.
This year marks the 11th edition of the festival in Australia, and follows a temporary pause over the past few years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The festival is part of a thriving Palestinian film industry working to facilitate Palestinian cultural output while strengthening social and economic ties between Palestine and Australia. It includes a broad selection of films:
Boycott (2021) traces the impact of state legislation in the United States designed to penalise individuals and companies that choose to boycott Israel due to its human rights record.
Fadia’s Tree (2022) tells the story of a Palestinian refugee in Lebanon, stranded by history on the wrong side of the border, yearning for the ancestral homeland she is denied.
Little Palestine, Diary of a Seige (2021) is a filmed diary of the daily life in the biggest Palestinian refugee camp — Yarmouk, in Damascus, Syria — and its besieged inhabitants, who decided to face bombing, displacement and hunger with rallying, study, music, love and joy.
Hommus: A story of appropriation (2020) is emblematic of Palestinians’ loss of land, dignity, and identity. Set against the backdrop of the Israeli appropriation of hummus as quintessential to Israeli cuisine, Palestinian-American filmmaker Lafi Abood captures the lives of ordinary Palestinians in Jerusalem.
The festival runs over November 2–20.
Sydney: November 2‒10
Melbourne: November 3‒6
Brisbane: November 11‒13
Canberra: November 11‒13
Perth: November 11‒13
Adelaide: November 18‒20
Hobart: November 18‒20
[For more information and to book tickets, visit the Palestinian FIlm Festival website.]