Exhibition: Nakba 77: Palestine's Depopulated Villages
Falastin Film Festival 2025
(Thu 15 May-Sun 1 Jun)
Nakba 77: Palestine's Depopulated Villages by Palestine-based independent journalist and photographer Ahmad Al-Bazz is a photographic documentation of the 500+ Palestinian villages across Mandatory Palestine that were depopulated during the Nakba in 1948 and subsequently destroyed by the Zionist settler state. The ghosts of wiped out Palestinian existence haunt almost every Israeli settlement*. In his travels across the land, the photographer has witnessed and documented graveyards surrounded by electric fences, mosques degraded in serving as animal sheds, vacated Palestinian homes that were turned into artist villages and many other forms of dispossession. The photos should not be viewed as stories about the past - at least as long as Palestinians are forced to remain refugees, banned from returning to their homes and lands.
*This refers to the towns and cities across all of Palestine, including, for example, the settlement of Tel Aviv - built upon the site of Jaffa and its surroundings where 98% of the Palestinian population were expelled in 1948.
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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.
This exhibition is free and non-ticketed, however the exhibition space is sometimes used for private events so you may wish to call ahead to confirm it will be accessible for your visit. You can contact Reception on 0131 556 9579 or email reception@scottishstorytellingcentre.com.
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Exhibitions
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£0.00 -
24 May 2025-1 June 2025 -
480 minutes -
Scottish Storytelling Centre -
Storytelling Court
