Palestinian Film Festival Australia

Palestinian Film Festival celebrates a decade with award-winning films and expanded program.

The Palestinian Film Festival Australia returns to celebrate its tenth year with a stacked program of award-winning features, ground-breaking documentaries, thought-provoking shorts and the launch of its exciting new program stream, Arab Cinema Days.

“We’re excited to bring you the best Palestinian cinema of 2019 for our landmark tenth Festival! This year’s program focuses on the profound connection between people and place,” said Festival Director Naser Shakhtour. “From life in Gaza beyond the rubble to a former political prisoner’s battle to reintegrate into society, we examine the importance of home through the unique lens of Palestinian filmmakers.”

This year’s program features international film festival favourites: winner of the 2019 Cannes Special Jury Prize It Must Be Heaven, a comic saga exploring identity, nationality and the true nature of home; Sundance Grand Jury Prize nominated documentary Gaza about the everyday lives of Gazan citizens beyond the rubble of perennial conflict; and the popular feature from this year’s Sydney Film Festival, Screwdriver in which a Palestinian political prisoner battles to reintegrate into society following his release.

Ground-breaking documentaries include: Ibrahim: A Fate to Define, fresh from the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, an intensely personal and provocative documentary chronicling director Lina Alabed’s quest to redefine her own identity by searching for traces of her missing father; and theatre director Nidal Badarny’s debut Waiting for FarajAllah which takes us behind the scenes of a Palestinian theatre production of Samuel Beckett’s iconic tragicomedy Waiting For Godot, delving into the lives of the crew and revealing startling parallels between the play’s themes and their own lives.

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Palestinian Film Festival is excited to announce the launch of Arab Cinema Days, a brand new program stream for Sydney and Melbourne audiences featuring titles from the broader Arab world and beyond.