70 Years of Nakba – A programme of Palestinian Shorts
Join us for a diverse and thought-provoking programme of 9 short films by both young and established Palestinian filmmakers. The first part of the programme reflects directly on the events of the Nakba (the 1948 Catastrophe) and the dream of return through animation, oral testimony and digital technology. The second part explores contemporary experiences, through traditional documentary, docu-drama and the film essay.
The screenings will be introduced by Dr Anandi Ramamurthy, Sheffield Hallam University (Creative Interruptions, AHRC) and followed by a post-screening discussions with Dr Marwan Darweish, Coventry University. The Event is organised in collaboration with West Midlands Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Part One:
HISTORY AND EXILE
House dir. Ahmed Saleh 2011
For generations, a family lived in a spacious and beautiful house. Guests were always welcome to enjoy a pleasant stay. Until one guest arrived with a different plan in mind. (4mins)
Alyasiini dir. Sahera Dirbas 2012
Mahmad Alyasiini is a Palestinian survivor from Deir Yassin, west of Jerusalem. He recounts his life in the village before the Nakba and tells how he survived the massacre on April 1948. (22 mins)
Your father was born 100 years ago and so was the Nakba
dir. Razan Al Slaah 2017
Oum Amin, a Palestinian grandmother, returns to her hometown Haifa through Google Maps Streetview. 7mins
Part Two:
CONTEMPORARY DREAMS AND REALITIES
Oslo Syndrome (6 min) dir. Ayman Azraq
Journey of a Sofa (9 min)dir. Alaa Al Ali
Twenty Handshakes for Peace (3 min) Mahdi Fleifel
Message to Obama (7 min) Muhannad Salahat
Interference (11 min) Anim Nayfeh
These five films were produced by Palestinian directors 20 years after the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993 and are part of a larger collection of short films called Suspended Time. The films present what feels like a suspended reality of unfulfilled dreams to capture feelings of fragmentation, loss, hope and humour in contemporary Palestinian experience. (2014)
Today they Took my Son (8mins) dir. Farah Nabulsi
The story of a mother coping with her young son being taken away by a military system and her helplessness to prevent the inhumane treatment she knows he is experiencing. (2016)
Programme length 77 mins
For more details see Facebook event here.