London Palestine Film Festival
Photo: BEIRUT: EYE OF THE STORM
London Palestine Film Festival, 11-24 November 2022
Barbican cinemas, ICA, Curzon Soho, SOAS
Newly-released and restored films focusing on issues related to Palestine.
An eclectic selection of new releases, art house cinema, and old gems, along with exclusive presentations and discussions. This year’s festival includes special events with newly restored films by Jocelyne Saab, a commemoration of 50 years since the assassination of Ghassan Kanafani, and a newly discovered work by the elusive filmmaker, Christian Ghazi.
MEDITERRANEAN FEVER
Saturday 12 November | 14:10 | BARBICAN CINEMA 2
Winner of a Best Screenplay award at Cannes this year, Maha Haj’s dark buddy comedy/drama explores psychological well-being, aspiration, and masculinity within an oppressive political framework.
RECOVERY + MANSHIYYA
Tuesday 15 November | 19:30 | SOAS UNIVERSITY
DOUBLE BILL
Two works by Palestinian film makers take us on a journey through Yaffa (Jaffa), bringing the home of sweet oranges and beautiful beaches to life while recounting stories of exile and displacement
THE DUPES
Wednesday 16 November | 18:15 | CURZON SOHO
OLD GEM: GHASSAN KANAFANI SPECIAL
Set in 1950s Iraq, The Dupes is based on the 1962 novella “Men Under the Sun” by assassinated Palestinian writer, artist and resistance leader, Ghassan Kanafani
RETURN TO HAIFA
Thursday 17 November | 20:45 | BARBICAN CINEMA 2
OLD GEM: GHASSAN KANAFANI SPECIAL
Recently restored old gem, Return to Haifa is Kassem Hawal’s adaptation of Ghassan Kanafani’s novella, of the same name, staying true to the Palestinian literary giant’s style and purpose
THE DEVIL’S DRIVERS
Friday 18 November | 18:30 | ICA
UK DEBUT
Filmed over the course of eight years, directors Daniel Carsenty and Mohammed Abugeth paint a breathtaking portrait of human trafficking in one of the most dangerous regions of the world.
BEIRUT: EYE OF THE STORM
Saturday 19 November | 18:00 | CURZON SOHO
UK DEBUT
This non-chronological account of a tumultuous period in recent Lebanese history loops back and forth between uprising and lockdown.
OUROBOROS
Sunday 20 November | 14:30 | ICA
This experimental work of cinema is an homage to the Gaza Strip and to the possibility of hope based on the eternal return and how we move forward when all is lost.
ELEVEN DAYS IN MAY
Monday 21 November | 18:20 | CURZON SOHO
Over the course of 11 days in May 2021, over 60 children were killed in Gaza. Narrated by Kate Winslet, this film tells the story of each child as an individual boy or girl, with much the same hopes and dreams and ambitions of children everywhere.
OCELYN SAAB RESTORED
Tuesday 22 November | 18:30 | ICA
A pioneering filmmaker, photographer, and artist, Jocelyn Saab was best known for her films mixing journalistic documentation with subjective viewpoints. Since her death in 2019, her friends have been restoring and archiving Saab’s valuable works.
SARURA. THE FUTURE IS AN UNKOWN PLACE
Wednesday 23 November | 19:30 | SOAS UNIVERSITY
Ten years after their first documentary on the nonviolent struggle in the West Bank, the directors return to the village of At-Tuwani and, using archival material more than 15 years old, tell how the children have grown up.
RESISTANCE - WHY?
Thursday 24 November | 19:30 | SOAS UNIVERSITY
DOCUMENTARY FILM
In 1970, at the initiative of Soraya Antonius (Fifth of June Society), Christian Ghazi and Noureddine Chatti met with a number of Arab political figures, especially Palestinians residing in Lebanon.
Shorts