On Gaza: A Collection of Short Films
Part of Falastin Film Festival
(Sat 25 May: 1:30pm)
A pair of documentary films on Gaza and Gazan experiences, followed by a Q&A with Ahmed Alnaouq, a Palestinian journalist from Gaza and the co-founder of We Are Not Numbers, a collective which trains the next generation of Palestinian writers to publish their stories in English.
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Between Two Crossings بين معبرين
(PG) by Yassir Murtaja and Rushdi Al-Sarraj
A
documentary film following the journey of Nour, a Palestinian student
from Gaza with a scholarship to enrol in Portland State University in
the United States. In order to get there, Nour struggles to find a way
to travel through the only two gates separating the Gaza Strip from the
rest of the world: Erez Checkpoint, controlled by Israel; and Rafah
Crossing, controlled by Egypt.
Director Yassir Murtaja was a Palestinian journalist and filmmaker from Gaza. He was shot and killed by an Israeli sniper while covering the Great March of Return on April 6, 2018. Many people around the world witnessed Yassir’s wish before he died through his Facebook status: that one day he wanted to be able to see Gaza and the world from the window of an aeroplane. Co-director Rushdi Al-Sarraj was Yassir's best friend and creative partner. He was killed in Gaza on October 22, 2023, by a targeted bomb from an Israeli warplane dropped on his house.
We share this film in honour of their memory.
Genre: Documentary | Year of Release: 2018 | Original Language: Arabic | Subtitles: English
Gaza, Footbullet غزة رصاصه بالقدم (U)
by Iyad Alasttal
A team of amputee Palestinian footballers
prepare to meet their French counterparts as part of a series of
sporting, cultural and solidarity meetings.
Genre: Documentary, Sports | Year of Release: 2021| Original Languages: Arabic, French | Subtitles: English
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Falastin Film Festival (FFF) is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit collective of Palestinians and allies dedicated to bringing Palestinian art to Edinburgh and Highland audiences. Palestinians are often summed up as an ‘occupied people,’ and spoken for, though they have their own stories to tell. Using cinema as a tool of resistance the festival strives to decolonize the narrative and equip audiences with historical context. There is a desire to build community while celebrating Palestinian art and culture through cinema, music, cuisine, and other storytelling mediums. Scotland’s exposure to Palestinian society, art, culture, and humanity altogether remains rather limited. FFF hopes to fill this gap, using both classical and contemporary cinema primarily but not exclusively. They strive to highlight Palestinian steadfast resistance, cultural preservation, stories of love, and in the words of poet Rafeef Ziadah, teachings of life. In so doing, they offer a refreshing portrayal that encompasses the geographic, linguistic, and experiential diversity of the Palestinian people globally.
Visit their website falastinfilmfest.com or follow them on social media @falastinfilmfest.
Tickets are on a Pay What You Can basis, please select from the options below. A booking fee of £1.50 is charged per transaction.
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Film
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£10.00 -
25 May 2024 -
110 minutes -
13:30 -
Scottish Storytelling Centre -
Netherbow Theatre -
12+
