Palestinian films to open your eyes

Express Tribune

28-01-2025

SLOUGH, ENGLAND:
With all the horror still unfolding in Gaza despite news of a ceasefire, there is only so much of a picture that mere newsprint can paint. Turn that picture over to the consummate hands of a filmmaker, however, and you will watch that very picture spin into a haunting true-to-life story you are unlikely to forget in a hurry.
The beauty of film
Conjuring up a gamut of emotions by piercing an arrow to the very humanity of the brutality shrouding the region – the loss of life, assault on dignity, and breakup of families – these Palestinian-centric films will take you to a place where no photographs, headlines, or social media posts can ever hope to. As a mark of the grit that went into bringing them to fruition, they have been in the spotlight at film festivals and gained traction wherever awards are disseminated.
Some of these films may not yet have a distributor, but as Palestinian-American director Cherien Dabis pointed out at the Sundance Film Festival, their stories deserve to be told. They are not for the faint of heart, but such films are mandatory watching for whoever wants to gain a deeper understanding of the deep-rooted effects of displaced Palestinian identity. Space does not permit paying homage to them all, so join us as we take a closer look at a select few of the recent projects that understood their assignment, totally and completely.
'All That's Left Of You'
One of two Palestinian offerings to premiere at this year's Sundance festival, this Dabis directorial tells the haunting tale of three generations of a family expelled from coastal Jaffa in 1948 and sent to the West Bank. Told in a non-linear fashion, this intimate and epic film zig-zags chronologically, weaving in and out from 1948 to the present day.
Not only does Dabis wear the director's cap, she also stars as a mother forced to make a decision no mother should make when her son is wounded in the 1988 uprising. Many of the stories are based on the traumas Dabis and her family personally faced. As per AFP, one harrowing scene shows a father being is humiliated at gunpoint by Israeli soldiers in front of his young child, creating a father-son rift that will never heal. The fact that it is all rooted in reality makes the pain on the screen ever more acute.
"I saw my dad humiliated at borders and checkpoints," Dabis told AFP, having frequented the West Bank as a child. "He confronted the soldiers, and they started screaming at him, and I was convinced they were going to kill him."
The film does not yet have a theatrical distributor, but whenever it does, Dabis' story promises to be one worth carving out the time for.
'No Other Land'
Having earned an Oscar nomination for best documentary feature, No Other Land paints the stark picture of the unlikely alliance between a Palestinian activist on the West Bank and an Israeli journalist. Like others in the land he calls home, Basel Adra, aforementioned activist (and lawyer, journalist, and filmmaker), has been fighting the mass expulsion of his people by Israeli occupation ever since childhood. Through Basel's eyes, we see the inevitable eradication of the villages he has known all his life, demolished gradually by Israeli forces.
As everyone in the village is driven further and further away from home, Basel strikes up the unlikeliest of friendships with Yuval (said Israeli journalist), who goes out of his way to support Basel himself. But with Basel enduring a life under military occupation and Yuval being able to move freely, liberated of any restrictions, can this strange new alliance withstand political stand-offs?
Driving home the very human aspect of life under occupation, No Other Land is a film created by a Palestinian-Israeli collective of four young activists. It is the celluloid equivalent of creative resistance, seeking long-delayed justice for everyone whose lives have been destroyed by conflict in the region.
'To a Land Unknown'
Having been recognised at the Red Sea Film Festival, here is an action-packed drama film that attaches a face and a harrowing back story to the refugees otherwise reduced to just a number. Two displaced Palestinian refugees, Chatila and Reda, living on the fringes of society, crave to acquire a set of fake passports so they can flee Athens and move to Germany. But when Reda loses their hard-earned cash to his dangerous drug addiction, Chatila hatches a foolhardy plan rife with risk and doomed to failure. Rather exquisitely – and painfully – showing what happens when push comes to shove, Chatila suggests they pose as smugglers and take hostages so they can escape their hopeless surroundings before it is too late.
It goes without saying that To a Land Unknown is as far removed from feel-good as can be. If the trailer is anything to go by, we are on the receiving end of an unapologetic view of the struggles that befall anyone who has been forced to leave their homeland under extreme circumstances. Directed by the Dubai-born Mahdi Fleifel, To a Land Unknown is tough viewing, but as good an eye-opener as any.
'From Ground Zero'
The cumulative effort of 22 Gazan filmmakers, From Ground Zero offers something a little different, but no less gripping. Born against the backdrop of conflict (as is any work of art in the region, you will have doubtless gathered by now), the project was spearheaded by Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi and is a collection of 22 short films totalling nearly two hours and made in Gaza itself.
Each film, ranging in length from three to six minutes, presents an intimate portrait of daily life in a region that is otherwise reduced to statistics in newsprint. We are offered a unique insight into the current reality in Gaza, getting a first-hand look at not just the tragedies, but also the moments of resilience banding everyone together. With 22 filmmakers on board, expect to be treated to a rich variety of genres, including fiction, animation documentary, docu-fiction, and experimental cinema. With sorrow, joy, and hope all entwined into one another, Gaza's vibrant artistic scene shines through against all odds.
The collection was shortlisted for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2025 Academy Awards but missed out on a nomination. For those who remain on the fence about whether this venture is worth their time, Bowling for Columbine director Michael Moore offered his two cents in conversation with Deadline: "I tell people, do not avoid this film. If your kids are mature and of a certain age, take them to it. This isn't just the blood and gore you witness on cable news. This film is the response of people who are trying to stay alive while being bombarded and shot at."