Bristol Palestine Film Festival makes a timely return

Back for its twelfth year, the Bristol Palestine Film Festival (BPFF) brings the best in contemporary Palestinian cinema, arts and culture to our doorstep at a time when the plight of the Palestinians dominates the headlines. Taking place at four independent venues across the city (Watershed, the Cube, Arnolfini and the Palestine Museum and Cultural Centre) from December 2-10, this year’s festival boasts a line-up of seven features and two short film evenings showcasing the rich variety of stories from Palestine and the region. These include four directors’ Q&A sessions and two panel discussions. For the first time, BPFF is also hosting an evening of live spoken word with popular local poetry night Raise the Bar.

In a statement, the organisers say: “We acknowledge the difficult circumstances of this year’s events in Israel and Palestine, and we remain committed to our founding aim of showcasing Palestinian cinema and culture. We hope that this year’s festival will provide a space for commemoration, reflection and discussion, and we believe in giving a platform for Palestinian stories, culture and traditions.”

The festival, which was founded in 2011 by David Owen after he visited Palestine with the Easton Cowboys football team, opens with a screening of Farha at the Arnolfini on Saturday December 2. Billed as “the film that Israeli government officials tried to cancel,” this tells the coming-of-age story of 14-year old Farha, whose childhood, and her dreams of an education, are shattered following the brutal military invasion of her country. Farha finds herself trapped in her family house, hiding from the Israeli military and watching the unfolding catastrophe. After the screening, there will be an online Q&A with the Director Darin J. Sallam, and a panel discussion on the way that the 1948 dispossession of Palestine and ongoing nakba have been represented in cinema and the wider arts. This will be hosted by BPFF with guests Ghada Karmi and Lowkey.

Hip-hop artist Lowkey will also a present for the following event at the same venue, Poetry on Palestine.

Over at the Watershed on Saturday 9 December, you can see In the Shadow of Beirut – the new documentary from the makers of Gaza (2019). Selected as Ireland’s entry in the Best International Feature Film category at the upcoming 96th annual Academy Awards, this is described as “a searing and intimate portrait of Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Beirut, home to some of the poorest and most downtrodden people in the city. As well as three generations of Palestinian refugees, there are also new arrivals from the war in Syria and undocumented Lebanese trying to get by. The filmmakers document the personal lives of residents of these marginalised slums and refugee camps of Beirut through their struggles of hard work and low pay, drug addiction, lack of identity papers and the memories of war, all while their city and country fall apart around them.” Director Garry Keane will be present for a Q&A after the screening.

At the Watershed the following day (Sunday 10 December), Bye Bye Tiberias charts the journey home of  Palestinian actor Hiam Abbass (Paradise Now, Succession)  as she returns to Tiberias with her film director daughter Lina to explore her memories and the women she left behind. This is Palestine’s official selection for Best International Feature at the 96th Academy Awards and director Lina Soualem will be present for a Q&A after the screening.

These are just a few highlights. Go here for the full festival programme and ticket information.

Main image from In the Shadow of Beirut: Bristol Palestine Film Festival.