The Closing Night will be a landmark event for LPFF, with From Ground Zero screening in cinemas across east, west, and south London. Directed by 22 filmmakers, the film offers an unprecedented look into life in Gaza, with stories that reflect the experiences, fears, and hopes of those living in the midst of conflict. The screenings will take place at Genesis Cinema, Riverside Studios and Sands Film Studio, bringing this crucial work to audiences across the capital.
Khaled Ziada, Founder and Director of London Palestine Film Festival said:“Founded in the late 90s, the annual two-week film festival continues to create spaces of discussion. Each edition spotlights stories of political realities as experienced by Palestinians, both at home and in the diaspora, through the creative lens of cinema.
The London Palestine Film Festival 2024 programme is a curated selection of recently released titles alongside favourites from throughout the years. Given the urgent circumstances in the ongoing war, we open with an exclusive live performance based on true events, in A Grain of Sand حبة رمل, theatre director Elias Matar presents an experience where imagination is crucial to navigate the violence. Closing this year’s festival we will have a simultaneous multi-cinema screening of From Ground Zero, a portmanteau of 22 films made in Gaza over the past year. These two sessions bookend an eclectic selection of cinema from award-winning feature films to selections of shorts, all showing on screens across London.”
Full Programme of Events
Friday, November 15th at 7 PM – Barbican Cinema 1
Opening Night: A Grain of Sand (حبة رمل)
Exclusive Mixed-Media Live Performance
Performed by Sarah Agha and directed by Elias Matar, A Grain of Sand tells the story of Renad, a young Gazan girl searching for hope amidst devastation. Her journey between life, death, and rebirth reflects the lived experiences of many Palestinians.
Followed by a conversation with Sarah Agha and Elias Matar.
Saturday, November 16th at 3:30 PM – The Garden Cinema
The Roller, The Life, The Fight
A documentary exploring perseverance in the face of political strife, followed by a virtual discussion with directors Elettra Bisogno and Hazem Alqaddi.
Saturday, November 16th at 6:30 PM – ICA
Familiar Phantoms Triple Bill
Directors Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind will lead a screen talk after the presentation of three of their films, each reflecting on memory, identity, and the intersection of personal and collective histories.
Sunday, November 17th at 2:30 PM – The Garden Cinema
Shorts Session: Real Visions
A selection of non-fiction shorts that traverse images, dreams, and memories, offering unique perspectives on Palestinian life and the intersections of reality and imagination.
Sunday, November 17th at 6:00 PM – ICA
We No Longer Prefer Mountains
A haunting look at displacement, followed by a discussion with director Inas Halabi and artist Maysan Hamdan.
Monday, November 18th at 6:10 PM – Barbican Cinema
To a Land Unknown
A screening followed by a Q&A with director Mahdi Fleifel, exploring the search for identity among Palestinian refugees.
Tuesday, November 19th at 6:20 PM – Curzon Soho
To a Land Unknown
An additional screening of Mahdi Fleifel’s film, followed by a Q&A.
Wednesday, November 20th at 8:45 PM – Barbican Cinema
Shorts Session: Dreams and Ghosts
A series of short films touching on the visible and invisible in Palestinian life, as characters grapple with the ghosts of the past while yearning for a better future.
Thursday, November 21st at 8:30 PM – Barbican Cinema
No Other Land
Directors Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra will discuss their film, which delves into Palestinian resistance and the fight for land rights, following the screening.
Friday, November 22nd at 7:00 PM – SOAS University of London
Book Launch: Afterlife of Images by Azza ElHassan
A special event marking the launch of Azza ElHassan’s new book, which explores the role of visual media in shaping the Palestinian narrative.
Saturday, November 23rd at 6:00 PM – Curzon Soho
Izkor: Slaves of Memory
This documentary examines the intersections of memory and identity in both Israeli and Palestinian societies.
Sunday, November 24th at 4:30 PM – ICA
A Fidai Film
A documentary on the legacy of the Palestinian fedayeen, exploring their resistance movement and their fight for liberation.
Monday, November 25th at 6:20 PM – Curzon Hoxton
Lyd
A film that sheds light on the city of Lyd and its transformation throughout the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Tuesday, November 26th at 6:20 PM – Curzon Hoxton
Shorts Session: Sticking Together
A curated session of shorts focusing on solidarity and camaraderie. Featuring animated, dramatic, and comedic works, these films emphasize the importance of human bonds in times of adversity.
Tuesday, November 26th at 6:30 PM – Barbican Cinema
Edward Said: The Last Interview
An introduction by author Isabella Hammad will precede the screening of the last recorded interview with Palestinian intellectual Edward Said.
Wednesday, November 27th at 6:20 PM – Bertha DocHouse
Oraib Toukan: Imaging the Image
Three films borne out of Oraib Toukan’s study of photography, film, and text, from which she seeks native and vernacular understandings of images. Over images both found and created, bringing us memories, reveries, and snapshots of the everyday, we hear the voices of eminent scholars and practitioners.
Thursday, November 28th at 8:15 PM – Riverside Studios
The Teacher
From the BAFTA-winning, Oscar-nominated director, Farah Nabulsi, comes her long awaited first feature film. Saleh Bakri, plays the eponymous school teacher trying to protect his students from a life stifled under Israeli occupation.
Friday, November 29th at 6:30 PM – Genesis Cinema
Friday, November 29th at 8:00 PM – Sands Films Studio
Friday, November 29th at 8:15 PM – Riverside Studios
Closing Night: From Ground Zero (UK Premiere)
The Closing Night of LPFF 2024 will be multiple screenings of From Ground Zero, a portmanteau of 22 short films from Gaza, made over the past year. Spearheaded by director Rashid Masharawi, the project brings together the voices of 22 Gazan filmmakers documenting untold stories from the ongoing conflict. These screenings in east, west, and south London provide an unprecedented look at the lived realities of Gaza, presenting a powerful testament to the resilience and creativity of its people. The anthology film From Ground Zero will represent Palestine this year in the Oscar race for Best International Feature.
