Falastin Film Festival Scotland Archive
Browse past editions of the festival, from our 2024 launch across Edinburgh and the West Coast to the 2025 programme spanning Edinburgh and Glasgow. Explore screenings, talks, and special events.
Browse past editions of the festival, from our 2024 launch across Edinburgh and the West Coast to the 2025 programme spanning Edinburgh and Glasgow. Explore screenings, talks, and special events.
19th May, 19:00
SacredCuisine founder Izzeldin Bukhari is on a mission to introduce Palestinian cuisine to the world. Through food, he shares the deep connection between Palestinian heritage, the land, and its produce, showing not only how to cook traditional dishes but also the resourcefulness and improvisation that define this rich culinary tradition.
18th May, 8:30pm
Join us for a musical concert by renowned composer and Oud virtuoso Saied Silbak. Saied will perform his own compositions and musical pieces inspired by the past, the current situation and the expectations for something unknown.
18th May, 17:30
Followed by Q&A with Director Lamees Almakkawy.
Two beautiful and powerful medium-length films on the coloniality of archives, reclamation of Palestinian music and dance, and the ethnographic underpinnings of colonization:
19th May, 14:00
Join us in a session full of creativity, healing and solidarity with Gaza. The session will be hosted by Diline Abushaban.
18th May, 13:30
With post-screening conversation with Hazem Jamjoum. Anthology film by 22 Palestinian directors
18th May, 11:00
This documentaryis ostensibly (not) a documentary on the south of Lebanon exploring the conditions of the time it was shot, the issues behind those conditions and their representation both in the West and in Lebanon itself.
17th May, 20:30
With post-screening conversation with Nadia Dina Yahlom (in-person)
A compelling screening of four short films that delve into the manipulation of archaeological heritage and erasure of folkloric traditions by the occupying zionist entity, revealing the cultural destruction of colonial control.
17th May, 18:30pm
A cinematic exploration on borders, the physical, emotional, material and immaterial; those that dictate movement and return, or lack thereof, for Palestinians universally.
17th May, 16:30
Moderated by Hazem Jamjoum the conversation will bring together distinguished voices to share testimonies from Gaza on the ongoing genocide.
17th May, 14:00
Join us for a hands-on workshop with Rowa and learn the basics of Palestinian embroidery, tatreez.
17th May, 13:30
An aesthetic and provocative screening of four experimental shorts uncovering the occupation’s haunting manipulation of sound as a form of torture, the politics of sound and sonic self-determination.
17th May, 11:00
During the early 2000s, as the Israeli army retaliates against the Second Intifada, a mother films her family’s life, often shielding them in the basement. Years later, her son revisits this painful past, depicting the anguish of parents torn between their children's safety and the emotional cost of leaving home.
16th May, 20:00
Saleh, born in exile, first experienced Palestine through a screen before moving there for university during the Second Intifada. His performance merges storytelling and film, illustrating his shift from observer to participant and connecting his memories with those he met.
16th May, 15:00
Followed by post-screening Q&A with assistant director Wadee Hanani.
Director Raed Andoni gathers former inmates of Jerusalem’s Moskobiya prison to rebuild it from memory and re-enact their experiences. As trauma resurfaces, the film becomes a powerful act of collective healing—for them and for Andoni himself.
16th May, 12:30
Leaving her native village to follow her dream of becoming an actress, Hiam Abbass also left behind her mother, grandmother and seven sisters. Thirty years later, her filmmaker daughter Lina returns with her to journey through the vanished places among the scattered memories of four generations of daring Palestinian women.
15th May - 1st June
Nakba 77, by Palestine-based independent journalist and photographer Ahmad Al-Bazz, is a photographic documentation of the 500+ Palestinian villages across Mandatory Palestine that were depopulated during the Nakba in 1948 and subsequently destroyed by the zionist settler state.
15th May [now 14th May] - until July
Edinburgh Pavilion presents exhibitions by three artists working in Gaza today: Mohamed Alhaj, Malaka Abu Owda, Ahmad Adawi.
10th May, 21:15
We’ll be closing our festival in Glasgow with a night of music to raise funds for the Masharawi Films Fund in Gaza, a fund empowering filmmakers in Gaza to continue telling their stories.
10th May, 19:00
A collection of four short-films followed by a conversation with director Theo Panagopoulos.
Palestine is always in sight, whether it is through the dead sea or on colonial footage; this programme of short films reflects on how love and longing for Palestine cannot be contained by objects or borders.
10th May, 16:30
Followed by a Q&A with director.
After her mother's passing, director Carol Mansour enlists the help of friends and strangers in Beirut to navigate the complex journey of returning Aida to Palestine.
10th May, 14:00
An interactive puppetry, mask-making & story-telling event about the olive harvest in Palestine for kids aged 5-12. The workshop will involve puppetry-making and story-telling about land, food, family, community, and perseverance.
10th May, 14:00
The documentary will be followed by a conversation with Charles Hoareau.
Fedayin: Georges Abdallah’s Fight retraces the path of this tireless Arab leftist—from the refugee camps that shaped him to the global calls for his release.
10th May, 11:00
These four resilient short films from The Palestine Film Unit have survived despite zionist effort to destroy them. Join us as we introduce the films with a presentation on Palestine’s militant cinema tradition, followed by an open discussion post-screening.
9th May, 21:30
A semi-biographical film tracing my family from 1948 to today, The Time That Remains blends my father’s resistance diaries, my mother’s letters, and my memories to portray Palestinians who stayed—labeled 'Israeli-Arabs'—living as a minority in their homeland.
9th May, 18:30
Followed by post-screening conversation with director Mary Jirmanus Saba.
A tribute to a Gaza that no longer exists, these films urge us to ask ourselves, what is our responsibility to Gaza?
9th May, 16:30
Followed by post-screening conversation with director.
Shedding light on the human cost of borders in the context of an occupation, and the enduring spirit of connection between Palestinians in Lebanon and occupied Palestine.
9th May, 16:00
Printmaking crafternoon for 5-12 year olds. Come along and make lino print posters, zines, collages, garlands or fabric patches to show your solidarity with Palestine.
(short-films collection)
9th May, 14:30
A collection of our favourite submissions by emerging Levantine filmmakers from Turtle Island (Canada) to Palestine, passing through Scotland, these films carry the longing, weight and power of diasporic experiences.
9th May, 14:15
In this session, facilitated by Glasgow-based art worker Hussein Mitha, we will consider Ghassan Kanafani’s cultural production as well as his writings on the role of art and culture in anti-imperialist struggle.
9th May, 12:30
The film is based on Kanafani’s novel the plot of which takes place in 1967, when Palestinian refugees living in the newly occupied territories had an opportunity to visit the places from which they had been expelled in 1948.
26th May, 9pm
Gazelleband present the music of Palestine and a wider region through the medium of traditional string instruments, the oud and buzuq. Led by Gazan oud player Reem Anbar and Irish-Mancunian music researcher Louis Brehony, the group perform internationally at concerts halls, festivals, universities and solidarity gatherings.
9th May, 16:30
Followed by a post-screening conversation with director
While the Israeli army retaliates against the Second Intifada in the West Bank in the early 2000s, a mother films her family's daily life, punctuated by time spent shielding her family from harm in the basement. Now, her son revisits this past, delivering a heart-breaking portrait of the anguish of parents who are forced to choose between their children’s physical safety and the emotional upheaval of leaving home.
26th May, 11:00
This diverse array of films were all submitted to us directly by emerging Palestinian filmmakers. A poignant common thread weaves through the narratives: sacrifice in its myriad forms. From the resolve to resist house demolitions, to the courageous risking of safety to document the realities of occupation, each story encapsulates a unique facet of sacrifice.
24th May, 21:00
Followed by a post-screening conversation with director.
The growing struggle for Palestinian self-determination between 1960 and 1980 was supported by radical left-wing movements worldwide, also in Japan. This is illustrated by a collection of 16mm films by militant filmmakers from various countries, which were dubbed and screened in Japan.
25th May, 8:30pm
Join us for a dinner and live storytelling featuring Glasgow-based Palestinian chefs Hiba, and her daughter Dana, as well as Edinburgh-based Palestinian author and cook, Diline. We’ll share delicious dishes that embody the richness and diversity of Palestinian cuisine, and listen to stories told by Hiba, Dana, and Diline, on the symbolism and history behind these ingredients.
25th May, 18:30
Elderly Palestinians are caught between their right to forage their own land and the harsh restrictions imposed by their occupiers on the basis of preservation. Shot in the Golan Heights, the Galilee and Jerusalem, it employs fiction, documentary and archival footage to portray the impact of Israeli nature protection laws on these customs.
25th May, 16:30
Malak has come to Edinburgh for her debut Scottish exhibition, Screams. Her works will be exhibited at Embassy Gallery from Thursday, May 23rd until Monday, May 27th. Following its display at Embassy Gallery, it will transfer to the In Vitro Gallery at Summerhall from June 7th, until June 28th.
25th May, 13:30
With in-person conversation with Ahmed Alnaouq.
A double screening of films: Between Two Crossings, Yasser Murtaja, Gaza, Footbullet, (Iyad Alasttal, 2021)
25th May, 11:00
A collection of short films: Maradona’s Legs (Firas Khoury, 2019), Ayny (Ahmad Saleh, 2016), The Present (Farah Nabulsi, 2020), Zoo (Tariq Rimawi, 2022), Hide & Seek (Rami Abbas, 2024), Uncle... Give Me A Cigarette (Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees and interns from Birzeit University, 2023)
24th May, 18:00
3000 Nights tells the story of a young Palestinian school teacher who gives birth to her son in an Israeli prison, where she fights to protect him, survive and maintain hope.
24th May, 15:30
A collection of short films: Silent Protest المظاهرة الصامتة (Mahasen Nasser-Eldin, 2019), Nation State مبنى الأمة (Larissa Sansour, 2013), Canada Park حديقة كندا (Razan AlSalah, 2020)
24th May, 12:30
The checkpoint is closed: “Detour, detour!” shouts a taxi driver, announcing the beginning of yet another uncertain search for a way around the barriers curtailing Palestinian movement in the West Bank.
12th May, 17:00
Palestinians in Beit Sahour start a local dairy farm, hiding a herd of 18 cows from Israeli occupation forces when the dairy collective was deemed a threat to national security. This moooovie is a remarkable tale of nonviolent resistance during the first intifada.
10th May, 21:15
Following on from dinner and storytelling, the hall will stay open for a solidarity performance from Leeds based, Awen Ensemble. Awen, meaning ‘poetic inspiration’ in Welsh, outlines the intention of their music to explore folkloric heritage and landscape. They take inspiration from modal tradition, spiritual jazz, and folk music found across the globe. With Celtic mystique, Awen Ensemble brings a unique offering.
25th May, 8:30pm
Join us for a dinner and live storytelling featuring Glasgow-based Palestinian chefs Hiba, and her daughter Dana, as well as Edinburgh-based Palestinian author and cook, Diline. We’ll share delicious dishes that embody the richness and diversity of Palestinian cuisine, and listen to stories told by Hiba, Dana, and Diline, on the symbolism and history behind these ingredients.
11th May, 15:30
Goal Dreams is about personal and national identity as seen through a football team like no other. Composed of multiple nationalities, speaking different languages and having no home field, the Palestinian National Football team and its players must overcome obstacles of physical, emotional, cultural and geographic nature just to exist.
11th May, 13:30
With in-person conversation with Ahmed Alnaouq
A double screening of films: Between Two Crossings, Yasser Murtaja, Gaza, Footbullet, (Iyad Alasttal, 2021)
11th May, 11:00
We warmly invite you to connect with your body and breath through a gentle yoga sequence centred on the theme of solidarity with Palestine.
This yoga sequence will be led by Majdal Soboh. Majdal is from Ramallah, Palestine and has trained at the Farashe Yoga Centre in Ramallah, and Seven Centers Yoga Art in Arizona. She has been living in Edinburgh since September 2023 doing a masters in Global Mental Health.
24th May, 21:00
Followed by a post-screening conversation with director.
The growing struggle for Palestinian self-determination between 1960 and 1980 was supported by radical left-wing movements worldwide, also in Japan. This is illustrated by a collection of 16mm films by militant filmmakers from various countries, which were dubbed and screened in Japan.
24th May, 21:00
with Hana Sleiman and Ahmad Barclay
The story of the archives of the Palestinian national movement reveals a narrative of exile and fragmentation that reflects the Palestinian experience itself. This short talk is based on a 2016 exhibit co-curated with Ahmad Barclay, titled “Sea of Stories: Voyages of the Palestinian Archives”, exhibited in the context of Qalandia International (Qi)’s third edition ‘This Sea is Mine’.
10th May, 11:00
Following our screening of Foragers, join for a walk and weave workshop, where we explore community, solidarity and resistance through plants and landscape.
9th May, 20:00
Elderly Palestinians are caught between their right to forage their own land and the harsh restrictions imposed by their occupiers on the basis of preservation. Shot in the Golan Heights, the Galilee and Jerusalem, it employs fiction, documentary and archival footage to portray the impact of Israeli nature protection laws on these customs.
9th May, 20:00
With introduction by historian Dr Mary Embleton.
Britain in Palestine, 1917-1948 is a short documentary film about the years of the British Mandate in Palestine. The film was made for the Balfour Project, a project focusing on shedding light on Britain’s destructive involvement in Palestine.
8th May, 18:00
Palestinians in Beit Sahour start a local dairy farm, hiding a herd of 18 cows from Israeli occupation forces when the dairy collective was deemed a threat to national security. This moooovie is a remarkable tale of nonviolent resistance during the first intifada.
