620 Matches Found
In the Occupied West Bank in Palestine of the 1980s, a Palestinian teenager is swept into a protest that changes the course of his family's life. Reeling from its aftermath, his mother, Hanan, shares the story that led them to that fateful moment. Spanning seven decades, this epic drama traces the hopes and heartaches of one uprooted family, revealing not only the scars of ethnic cleansing, but the unbreakable spirit of survival.
This film made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective shows the destruction of the occupied West Bank's Masafer Yatta by Israeli soldiers and the alliance which develops between the Palestinian activist Basel and Israeli journalist Yuval.
When their city is placed under siege, the lives of a group of ordinary people are turned upside down, forcing each of them to confront impossible choices in pursuit of what they believe is survival in a war zone.
Free Fish is a short documentary filmed over the course of a year in Gaza, following two brothers — Abu Nagham and Ahmad — separated by war yet connected by the sea. Displaced from their home, Abu Nagham now lives in a tent in the south, fishing with his young nephew Rami, who lost his twin brother. Ahmad remains in the north, fishing amid ruins and occupation. Once a source of livelihood and freedom, the sea has become a battleground — heavily restricted, constantly watched, and always dangerous.
After years abroad in Italy, Shadi returns to his native Nazareth. But this is no spectacular homecoming. He's back somewhat begrudgingly to honour his "wajib" (or duty) to hand out invitations to his sister's wedding with his father. The simmering tension between the two — who are often stuck in a car, more often than not in traffic — builds, exposing the sometimes-comic chasms that exist between men who live in different worlds but share an unshakable bond.
After Saleem is released from prison after twenty years, he stays alone at home, haunted by nightmares, while Cosette tries to reconnect with him and understand why he’s isolating himself, hoping to help him face his past and rebuild their relationship. Will she succeed?
A powerful Palestinian documentary starring Vanessa Redgrave about the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) and its role in Lebanon, as well as the daily struggles and resistance of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation. Filmed right after the Tel al-Zaatar massacre, the film highlights the Palestinian fight for identity, dignity, and homeland.
A Palestinian school teacher struggles to reconcile his life-threatening commitment to political resistance with his emotional support for one of his students and the chance of a new romantic relationship with a British volunteer worker.
Amid the ruins of northern Gaza, Ibrahim clings to the only companion he has left: Farfour, a stray cat he adopted during the war. Farfour has become more than just a pet for Ibrahim. He has turned into his shadow, his confidant, his last connection to humanity. Together, Ibrahim and Farfour navigate a collapsing world, enduring a relentless siege while living in an unsafe building, with no water and electricity. As the war tightens its grip, Ibrahim must flee.
The affair of a married Palestinian man and a married Israeli woman in Jerusalem takes a dangerous political dimension when they are spotted in the wrong place at the wrong time, leaving them to deal with more than their broken marriages.
Here and Elsewhere takes its name from the contrasting footage it shows of the fedayeen and of a French family watching television at home. Originally shot by the Dziga Vertov Group as a film on Palestinian freedom fighters, Godard later reworked the material alongside Anne-Marie Miéville.
In 2007, Yahya works at his friend Osama’s falafel shop in Gaza, which doubles as a drug dealing front. His entanglement leads him to witness a terrible crime. A couple years later, Gaza’s Ministry of Culture randomly chooses Yahya to star in a TV series that highlights martyrs and heroes of the resistance. As conflict simmers in the distance, Yahya unexpectedly receives real weapons, heightening the stakes as the show provides him with an opportunity to confront the perpetrator of the offense that changed his life.
On his wedding anniversary, Yusef and his young daughter set out in the West Bank to buy his wife a gift. Between soldiers, segregated roads and checkpoints, how easy would it be to go shopping?
Mustafa and his wife Salwa come from two Palestinian villages that are only 200 meters apart, but separated by the wall. Their unusual living situation is starting to affect their otherwise happy marriage, but the couple does what they can to make it work. Every night, Mustafa flashes a light from his balcony to wish his children on the other side a goodnight, and they signal him back. One day Mustafa gets a call that every parent dreads: his son has been in an accident. He rushes to the checkpoint where he must agonisingly wait in line only to find out there is a problem with his fingerprints and is denied entry. Desperate, Mustafa resorts to hiring a smuggler to bring him across. His once 200-meter journey becomes a 200-kilometer odyssey joined by other travellers determined to cross.
Based on real events, Huda’s Salon is a heart-racing, entertaining feminist thriller, where two women fight for their freedom. Reem, a young mother who is married to a jealous man, goes to Huda’s salon in Bethlehem for a haircut and an attentive ear. However, this ordinary visit turns sour after Huda puts Reem in a shameful situation, blackmails her to work for the secret service of the occupiers and betrays her people.
An unflinching portrait of life in Gaza at the height of Israeli attacks. The filmmakers follow a British doctor of Palestinian origin who travels to volunteer in a local hospital. What emerges is an uncensored chronicle of war, the daily fight to sustain a collapsing medical system under relentless bombardment, and the immense emotional burden carried by victims and their families.
A secret museum in an art hotel sparks intrigue when it's revealed to be a creation of controversial artist, Banksy. Using art as a form of political resistance, the hotel highlights the reality of life under Israeli military occupation. The film journeys through the hotel, Palestine, and a relevant past to dismantle the mainstream media's bias towards the Palestinian struggle for freedom and equality.
"From Ground Zero" is a compelling project that brings together 22 short films created by talented filmmakers from Gaza. Launched by Rashid Masharawi, a notable Palestinian filmmaker, the initiative emerged amid the backdrop of conflict, aiming to provide a platform for young artists to express themselves through their craft. Each film, ranging from 3 to 7 minutes, presents a unique perspective on the current reality in Gaza. The project captures the diverse experiences of life in the Palestinian enclave, including the challenges, tragedies, and moments of resilience faced by its people. With a mix of genres such as fiction, documentary, docu-fiction, animation, and experimental cinema, "From Ground Zero" showcases a rich tapestry of stories that reflect the sorrow, joy, and hope inherent in Gazan life.
Two students in the West Bank are forced to return home to Gaza, where their love defies tradition. To reach his lover, Qays graffitis poetry across town. A modern retelling of the famous ancient Sufi parable Majnun Layla.
Kareem’s family has lived in Jerusalem for many generations. Him and his best friend, Elias, travel around villages and giving ghost tours, conning naive tourists through their company they call “Holy Ghost Tours.” They tell tourists the story about the mythical Ghouleh of Jerusalem his Teta (grandmother) told him, a demon from her old village who steals people’s memories.
In Gaza, 60-year-old fisherman Issa has been secretly in love with Siham, a widow who works at the market. One day, the discovery of an ancient phallic statue of Apollo in his fishing net changes his life. With newfound confidence, he decides to approach Siham but problems arise when authorities become involved with this mysterious and potent treasure.
A historic drama with musical Bollywood scenes. Kabul in the early 90s. Soviet values rule the country. Women can wear miniskirts, children can go to school and people can go to the cinema, concerts as well as universities. Life in Afghanistan is similar to life in the Western world. 14 years old Qodrat sells cinema tickets on the black market in the streets of Kabul. After selling a ticket to a secret police officer by mistake, he ends up at the Soviet orphanage, where he fakes his identity at the registration, in hope of getting more power. Everyday life for Qodrat is about friendships, falling in love, doing naughty things and going on adventures – just like it is for children in other parts of the world. However, behind the safe walls of the orphanage the world they once knew is drastically changing as the Mujahideens start the civil war.
In a cotton-farming village in Sudan, teenage Nafisa is raised on heroic tales of battling British colonizers told by her grandmother, the village matriarch Al-Sit. But when a young businessman arrives from abroad with a new development plan and genetically engineered cotton, Nafisa becomes the center of a power play to determine the future of the village. Awakening to her own strength, Nafisa sets out to save the cotton fields – and herself. Neither she nor her community will ever be the same again.
After finding out that their father left a huge sum of money behind after his death, Mariam and Noura come up with an elaborate scheme to abscond with the money before their brother — who is legally entitled to half the inheritance — finds out about their father’s death.
Six Palestinian stand-up comedians write and tour a comedy show exploring the unlikely, often dark humour that surrounds the complexity of Palestinian identity. What starts as a blending of comic traditions to encourage honest and open reflections through the shared enjoyment of laughter becomes an existential imperative to survival and sharing common humanity.
Elissa's life takes a turn when she meets a mysterious man in her English class and she has to quickly decide between her family and him- and going from family-life to a life on the run is a wild choice to everyone but her.
In an underground orchard in Bethlehem, decades after an otherworldly ecodisaster, two scientists discuss exile, loss and nostalgia.
In al-Eizariya, a town in the occupied West Bank near Al-Quds (Jerusalem), Manar and her husband Milad lead House of Hope – a Waldorf school where Palestinian children learn, sing and breathe in an atmosphere of art and humanity. But as tension increases outside, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Manar to give her pupils a sense of security and dignity.
A heart-rending depiction of the aftermath of Israel's destruction of Jenin refugee camp in 2002, where every scene and interview is profound and distressing in equal measure.
Israel is sealed off after the outbreak of a deadly virus and Gaza has become the safest place in the region, leaving a British journalist and his Israeli girlfriend trapped on the wrong side of the border. With no one else to turn to, they must entrust two Palestinian street merchants who promise a way out in exchange for much needed cash. What follows is a hilarious culture clash comedy-adventure as the couple desperately try everything to get back home.
Khaled (12), a Palestinian boy is on his way to visit the sea for the first time in his life, at the checkpoint, the Israeli authorities deny his entry. Determined, Khaled sneaks into Israel and embarks on a dangerous journey to the sea. Meanwhile, Ribhi, his father, is trying to trace his whereabouts, putting himself at risk of being arrested and losing his job.
The war of 1948 changed the lives of the Palestinian inhabitants of Jerusalem forever. 'My Jerusalem' is the story of how they were living, what it was like to go to school there, what they played in the 'hara' or playgrounds. The story is told by the people who were born and grew up there before 1948. They then talk us through the war that forced them to leave their homes and lives forever.
Farah hates the sound of planes and artillery, and after her house was bombed, she went to bed early for fear of the unknown. To combat the sounds of war, she puts headphones on her ears and practices her favorite hobby, dancing.
Return to al-Ma’in chronicles the multiyear collaboration between Forensic Architecture (FA) and Palestinian historian and Nakba survivor Salman Abu Sitta on the reconstruction of his birthplace, the lost village of Ma’in Abu Sitta (or al-Ma’in). Guided by the work and memories of Abu Sitta, FA-researchers reconstructed al-Ma’in’s occupation by Israeli forces on 14 May 1948, its subsequent demolition, and the settlements constructed on its ruins. The movie looks to the present moment and the connections between Israeli military’s conduct and appropriation of Palestinian land during and after 1948, and today in Gaza. The project looks back at the sophistication and sensitivity with which the Abu Sitta family cultivated their land, and the rich agricultural diversity that was lost when Israeli settlements were subsequently constructed over this landscape.
"The Boy Of The Fish" follows Noon, a young boy living in a Syrian refugee camp, who finds solace and a sense of freedom in a whale-shaped doll he names "Bahr." Set against the challenging realities of camp life, Noon’s journey is both a story of resilience and a testament to the boundless imagination of childhood. Through vivid symbolism and a unique soundscape, the film explores themes of loss, hope, and the longing for freedom amidst confinement. Shot entirely on an iPhone due to restrictions in the conflict zone, the film combines raw authenticity with poetic depth to capture the emotional landscape of a young soul navigating adversity.
A road trip through the hills, valleys and villages of Palestine, following Murad, the cinema-lover who has made it his mission to bring Palestinian cinema to Palestinians in forgotten and marginal communities in the West Bank.
After fifteen years of imprisonment, Ziad struggles to adjust to modern Palestinian life as the hero everyone hails him to be. Unable to distinguish reality from hallucination he unravels and forces himself to go back to where it all began.
Chronicle of a Disappearance unfolds in a series of seemingly unconnected cinematic tableaux, each of them focused on incidents or characters which seldom reappear later in the film. Among the many unrelated scenes, there is a Palestinian actress struggling to find an apartment in West Jerusalem, the owner of the Holy Land souvenir shop preparing merchandise for incoming Japanese tourists, a group of old women gossiping about their relatives, and an Israeli police van which screeches to a halt so several heavily armed soldiers can get off the car and urinate.
From the very first day of Israel-Gaza conflict in 2014, filmmaker Mohamed Jabaly has been there with his camera. He follows a team of paramedics in an ambulance, eventually becoming a core member who bears witness to their perilous and heartbreaking rescue work. Ambulance tracks the harrowing chaos amidst a state-run military operation on civilians.
Angela is a successful writer, widowed and wealthy. Her son Sean was born in London where he attends university, while she lives in a small town in northern Italy. Fatima is Maghreb like her husband but her children Nadia and Tarik were born in Italy: Nadia married an Italian Catholic against the wishes of her Muslim father and Tarik studies in England. The English university is the place where the destinies of Sean and Tarik meet because they both fall under the influence of Omar, a recruiter on behalf of the Jihad. Sean and Tarik, inflamed by the man's words, will enlist to fight in Syria, throwing their respective mothers into despair. Angela and Fatima's paths cross at a psychological support group run by Dr. Diana. The group also includes Israeli Sam, who killed a terrorist before he carried out a massacre, Claire, whose husband and son died in a jihadist air strike, and Eric, whose daughter Sofia joined the freedom fighters, coincidentally as Omar's concubine.
A Palestinian surgeon drives home after a long night shift, but little does she know that a commute through a desolate West Bank road will change her forever.
A displaced teacher’s daily journey from one queue to the next struggling to secure his most basic needs.
Jawed Taiman takes a distinct look at Afghanistan and lets the Afghan people have their say. En route through the different provinces, through urban and rural regions, in discussion with intellectuals and simple folk, politicians and Taliban fighters a multifaceted picture emerges of a country that is often portrayed as incomprehensible.
A fisherman from Gaza is trapped in his haunting memories. After losing his only child, he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder that leads him on a psychological journey, reliving his tragedy in a different reality.
Drawing on the Arab heritage of oral tradition and mosaic pattern, Leila and the Wolves is an exploration of the collective memory of Arab women and their hidden role in history throughout the past half century both in Palestine and in Lebanon.
We gain rare access inside the Jenin Battalion, a new Palestinian armed group that’s formed to fight back against Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank. Fighter Abu Aseel, not his real name, takes us through Jenin and shows us how the brigade is training and preparing to defend the city for the next time the Israeli army enters. Like many young men in the impoverished refugee camp, Abu Aseel feels he was compelled to take up arms, driven by witnessing decades of violence and oppression against his community. Israel’s new far-right government has accompanied a surge in violence with near-daily military raids across the occupied West Bank.
Al Maram is a portrait of Maram Humaid, a Palestinian journalist displaced to Gaza after October 7, 2023, like her ancestors during the Nakba. Maram continues to work as a journalist to report the reality of the genocide to the world.
Iman, a young newly wed Palestinian bride, is arrested and incarcerated in a top-security Israeli prison where she gives birth to a baby boy. As she struggles to survive and raise her child behind bars, she is torn between her instinct as a mother and the difficult decisions she must make, finding through her relationship with the other prisoners - both Palestinian and Israeli – the time and space to reflect, develop and mature as a young woman.
A Palestinian boy becomes entranced with a beautiful Romani girl and a fairy tale world she weaves amidst conflict in Gaza. The children explore nature, mysticism and what their future holds, while learning to live with the surrounding brutality c. 1990. Yusef's family scrapes by in a seaside camp while his father's in prison and his heavily-armed brother's on the run, parrying with Israeli troops. Salah, Yusef's schoolmate from a well-off Arab family strives faithfully to assist them, while Yusef helps an elderly, blind neighbor escape from his lonely abandonment into the North American dreamworld he's waited so long for.
This documentary focuses on the devastating violence of the Israel-Palestine conflict and its effects on the children of Gaza.
The story of a young Palestinian who left his refugee camp to become a resistance fighter in the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Waleed (40) lives in Haifa with his wife and children and dreams of a writing career while suffering from chronic depression. He develops a close relationship with his neighbor (a small-time crook) with an ulterior plot in mind. While the scheme turns into an unexpected friendship between the two men, it leads them into a journey of dark encounters.
In the north of Israel, Nagham, a Palestinian girl, decides to return to Bir’em, her family’s village, which was destroyed during the 1948 Palestinian Nakba. The teenager spends the summer reconnecting with memories of her grandfather.
As part of the organization of sporting, cultural and solidarity meetings between a team of amputee footballers from Gaza and the French amputee football team, the project coordinator, filmmaker-director followed with his camera the Palestinian footballers in Gaza before their departure, and during their stay in France.
Palestinian filmmaker Alaa Damo, documents the events that took place over one day in Gaza to his friend Mosab Al Nadi, who survived three Israeli airstrikes and was buried under rubble, despite sheltering in so-called ‘safe zones’. 24 Hours is part of From Ground Zero, a collection of 22 short films made in Gaza initiated by Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi to tell the untold stories of the current war on film. From Ground Zero is the official submission of Palestine for the Best International Feature Film category of the 97th Academy Awards in 2025. Published On 10 Nov 2024
A film promoting orphan's cause.
Describe the harsh reality attempts of establishing a Jewish settlement in Israel and the efforts of the Arab to prevent it. The film is considered as the first talking film in Palestine Israel.
In a small village in the occupied Golan Heights, the life of a desperate unlicensed doctor, who is going through an existential crisis, takes another unlucky turn when he encounters a man wounded in the war in Syria. Overturning all community expectations in times of war and national crisis, he ventures forth to meet his newly found destiny.
Mohammed, a young Palestinian, embarks on a tense journey to cross an Israeli checkpoint with a temporary Polish residence card. After being turned down by other drivers, Farouk, a well-meaning taxi driver, offers him a ride. However, they soon encounter severe trouble when Israeli soldiers discover Mohammed’s previous failed attempt to cross. The film powerfully captures the oppressive reality of life under occupation and the personal costs involved.
The film presents a harmonious picture of Palestinian civil life in Jerusalem that is disturbed by the Israeli army’s occupation of the city following 1967.