The programme for the 15th London Palestine Film Festival was released by Festival organisers the Palestine Film Foundation. The largest event of its kind in Europe, since 1998 the annual Festival has showcased the finest in new docs and fiction from or about Palestine while also unveiling rare historic works. During this year’s two-week run at the Barbican Cinema and University of London venues, a total of 41 films will be shown, by directors working internationally in all genres. With 26 premieres and some astonishing archive works, the Festival also boasts daily screen talks with a roster of 25 guest speakers.
This year’s Festival maps nearly one hundred years of film on Palestine. The early celluloid record comes to life with an unprecedented exploration of Palestine in the British colonial film archives, in the company of top scholars and artists Kamal Aljafari, Francis Gooding, Ilan Pappe, and Christopher Pinney. Other rare historic encounters include an airing of Susan Sontag’s only documentary, Promised Lands, and the first known UK screening of 1976 French Maoist cine-manifesto, L’Olivier. Festival guest Ella Shohat also gives an exclusive illustrated talk marking the newly-updated edition of her seminal book, Israeli Cinema, exploring the history of Israeli film politics.
Plenty of contemporary work is on offer too. Cracking new features include Opening Night premiere, Man Without a Cell Phone, Sameh Zoabi’s quirky generational comedy, as well as taught emotional drama Last Days in Jerusalem from Cannes-awardee Tawfik Abu Wael (Atash/Thirst, 2004). The latest in fiction is further showcased with an event dedicated to new Palestinian shorts and another focusing on recent developments in Palestinian women’s filmmaking.
Palestinian work is well represented, but the film programme remains emphatically global. Some striking fresh takes on Palestine come from international artists Ursula Biemann, Mike Hoolboom, and Travis Wilkerson. Elsewhere, screen events match new docs with expert panellists to hone in on regional and global topics, from the 30th anniversary of the fall of Beirut to Palestinian refugees in South America and the Druze minority in Israel. Rounding off a programme packed with artistic, historic, and thematic variety are two “Beyond Palestine” events, with keynote speakers presenting fine works on Syria and Western Sahara.
In addition to book launches, artist talks, and daily films, the Festival boasts a groundbreaking exhibition of Palestinian video art, with contributions from more than a dozen key figures, including Basma Alsharif, Ayreen Anastas, Mona Hatoum, Khalil Rabah, Larissa Sansour, Elia Suleiman, and Sharif Waked.
FESTIVAL DATES AND VENUES
Barbican Cinema Friday April 20th – Wednesday April 25th
Khalili Lecture Theatre, SOAS Thursday April 26th – Sunday April 29th
Darwin Theatre, UCL Monday April 30th – Thursday May 3rd
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