Bye Bye Tiberias

Bye Bye Tiberias (2023) 82' Palestine, France, Belgium, Qatar
Director: Lina Soualem

Date: 12/10/2024
Time: 13:00-14:15
Location: LAB111‍‍
Tickets: Bye Bye Tiberias

Synopsis:
BYE BYE TIBERIAS, directed by Lina Soualem, is a touching weave of the personal and the political in an ode to family, origins, and to the steadfast resilience of Palestinian women. The documentary follows Soualem and her mother, actress Hiam Abbass, as they piece together the scattered stories of four generations of women, each forced to leave their homes under different circumstances. Through intimate conversations, oral histories, and a blend of personal and historical archives, the film explores memory, resistance, and the strength of intergenerational bonds.

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Olive Oil tasting with Fairtrade Palestine

Date: 12/10/2024
Time: 13:00-14:15
Location: LAB111
Tickets: Olive Oil Tasting

Due to last year’s interest and a growing fascination with Palestinian artisan products, Fairtrade Palestine will host another olive oil tasting at the LAB111 Chapel. This event will include a historical background on the sacred olive tree, including visuals of the current harvest season, chronicling the process of olive oil production and a portrayal of what Palestinian olive farmers currently endure. The event will be closed off with a fun sampling of different types of olive oil, paired with Palestinian condiments.

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Shorts Programme : The melancholy of this useless afternoon

Date: 12/10/2024
Time: 15:00-16:30
Location: LAB111  ‍‍
Tickets: Shorts: THE MELANCHOLY OF THIS USELESS AFTERNOON

The melancholy of this useless afternoon: Chapter One (2023) 12' Palestine
Director: Dina Mimi

Synopsis:
THE MELANCHOLY OF THIS USELESS AFTERNOON, unfolds through two chapters reflecting on the role of the fugitive and the smuggler. Chapter I layers images of birdsong competitions, revolutionary songs from Oman, Yemen and Palestine with a narrative contemplating movement, loss, separation, and revolutionary practice. Chapter II employs a clandestine style to document the practice of bird smuggling and the part the human body plays in this act. These are accompanied by a framed vest with an organic material resembling what the birds are traditionally hidden within.

And Yet my mask is Powerful (2016) 8' Palestine
Directors: Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme

Synopsis:
AND YET MY MASK IS POWERFUL, directed by Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abu-Rahme, is an installation piece documenting a modern engagement with ancient material: relics of neolithic masks found in the West Bank and their replication as 3D-printed models. As the film follows groups of young people revisiting wrecked ruins in Israel, the destroyed sites are not merely seen as places of ruin or trauma; instead, they emerge with a renewed sense of vitality and presence facilitated by their costuming of the old and new masks. By reactivating these spaces, they resist colonial erasures and move towards a counter-mythology of virtual reappearance.

As We cross to the Otherside of the Garden (2023) 14' Syria
Director: Ameen Abo Kaseem

Synopsis:
AS WE CROSS TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GARDEN, directed by Ameen Abo-Kaseem, brings us to late 2018 when the war in the streets of Damascus had stopped. In this narrative short, a generation ready to start their fight against (or for) life soon realize that this just turned out to be a beautiful, unrealistic dream.

Our Songs were Ready for all wars to come (2021) 22' Palestine, Netherlands
Director: Noor Abed

Synopsis:
OUR SONGS WERE READY FOR ALL WARS TO COME, directed by Noor Abed, acts as a compass in the search for alternative sources of Palestinian knowledge. Lamenting folklore performances reminiscent of women’s communal rituals at water wells are overlaid with lyrics of traditional folk songs. Through splashes of light and perforated edges of celluloid film, Abed negotiates ways of representing and holding memory.‍

A Night we held Between (2024) 30’ Palestine, Netherlands 
‍Director: Noor Abed

Synopsis:
A NIGHT WE HELD BETWEEN, directed by Noor Abed weaves together the ancient Minoan Labyrinth myth with the present sociopolitical context of Palestine. The film unfolds across historical sites in Palestine where the landscape is posited as a central character, as a timeless holder of memory, and as a capsule for feelings of loss and destruction. In rhythmic rituals evoking ancient practices linked to deities and caves, communal expression of land, and cultural heritage, Abed disrupts linear perceptions of historical time and poetically merges the past with the present. 

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Poetry Reading and short film with Gráinnemir Amir Abualrob & Shira Wolfe

Date: 12/10/2024
Time: 15:00-16:15
Location: LAB111
Tickets: Poetry & Film
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‍Let’s go as we are, a Free Woman and a Loyal friend

Palestinian actor Gráinnemir Amir Abualrob and Dutch-American poet Shira Wolfe will perform a collaborative poetry reading in solidarity with the people of Palestine. Their performance interweaves poems they wrote about Palestine, drawing from their experiences in Palestine. Furthermore, their performance and conversations will explore their relationship — that of a queer Palestinian actor who came to Ireland as a refugee, and a poet with Jewish heritage, whose practice brought her to Palestine. The two met in 2015 while working together at The Freedom Theatre in Jenin.

Film Screening : Tracing Darwish
A journey through (seemingly lost) Palestinian spaces is at once a road movie, a video poem and an exploration in psychogeography. The movie traces the footsteps of Mahmoud Darwish, searching for his village Al Birwa, as well as the filmmaker’s own experiences in Palestine. Though Al Birwa no longer physically exists, the space where it used to be still carries its stories and histories, and it is this fascination with the different layers of space, and the power that poetry has to recall past spaces, that inspired this project.
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The movie was created by Shira Wolfe in 2016, with voice-overs by Gráinnemir Amir Abualrob.
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ARTIST TALK AT LAB111 

Date: 12/10/2024
Time: 17:00-18:00
Location: LAB111‍
Tickets: Artist Talk

The PFFA is delighted to feature three Palestinian artists from diverse geographical backgrounds, all of whom have incorporated film in their work. Noor Abuarafeh, Yazan Khalili and Ahmad “Stateless” Mallah will participate in a panel talk moderated by curator, art writer and researcher Dr. Nat Muller.

At a time when we are inundated by images, which ones do they feel are needed, or not? Is there a time and place for art now, and if so, what can it offer? How has their role towards, and working with, institutions changed? How do they feel about being expected to speak to the collective, while showing resilience at a time of impossible grief; a heavy burden never asked of their Euro-western peers? Does this differ with artists who identify as being queer?

The Nakba is Palestine’s foundational trauma and has produced a specific visual iconography artists have drawn from for many decades. How does history, memory and trauma feature in their practice at a time of genocide, memoricide and toponimicide?

The talk will be concluded with an opportunity for questions from the audience.
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Three Promises

Date: 12/10/2024
Time: 18:00-19:10
Location: LAB111‍‍‍
Tickets: Three Promises

Three Promises (2023) 60' Palestine, Lebanon, USA
Director: Yousef Srouji

Synopsis:
THREE PROMISES, directed by Yousef Srouji, revolves around a mother and her two children in Palestine during the Second Intifada. Set in the early 2000's in the West Bank, Suha, mother of Srouji, films her daily routine during intense attacks and life in a war zone. When Srouji finds the archive of his mother's reels, he turns the footage into a documentary. The result is a heart-breaking film that conveys the anguish of children and their parents who are forced to choose between safety and emotional upheaval.

The Fashion Programme + Talk  

Date: 12/10/2024‍‍‍
Time: 19:30-20:45
Location: LAB111‍
Tickets: The Fashion Programme + Panel Discussion

‍In alignment with the festival focus on Dissident Voices and Queer Palestinian Cinema, The Fashion Programme, curated by Roberto Filippello, features a collection of short films, commercials, and music videos all conceiving the fashioned body as bearer of violence and occupation. Whether at a catwalk or in an airport, the filmmakers understand the socio-political boundaries of fashion and seek to redefine them.

MASKHARA (2020) and ANTENNE (2021), directed by singer and video-artist Bashar Murad, vibrantly satirize gender performativity in the context of occupation through impossible pop-art-ized landscapes including Murad provocatively dancing on a tank. The models walking down the “occupied catwalk” in Sharif Waked’s CHIC POINT (2003), violate high fashion designs with daring cuts meditating on the humiliation experienced by Palestinians at checkpoints. In BODY TONES (2022), directed by Dina Amin, Hazar Jawabra’s colourful knitting acts as the second layer of human skin offering an escape from societal predations and expectations.  In ERRORVISION (2021), directed by Trashy, the omnipresent world of art-washing dissolves in a collection of sleek silhouettes with dramatic shaping in sleeves and flares, flowing gracefully with the model’s showcased movement. In HOMECOMING QUEENZ (2021), directed by Elias Wakeem, a phone vlog follows two drag queens as they are confronted with the surveillant atmosphere at Ben Gurion International Airport.

Guests: Curator Dr. Roberto Filippello, Investigative journalist Charisa Chotoe, Singer-songwriter and honorary guest Bashar Murad

‍Chic Point (2003) 5' Palestine
Director: Sharif Waked

‍Homecoming Queenz (2019) 11' Palestine
Director: Elias Wakeem

‍Errorvision (2021) 7' Palestine
Director: Trashy

‍Antenne (2021) 4' Palestine
‍Director: Bashar

‍Maskhara (2020) 3' Palestine
Director: Bashar Murad

‍Body Tones (2020) 2' Palestine
Director: Dina Amin & Hazar Jawabra
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Shorts Programme : Vibrations from Gaza

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‍Date: 13/10/2024
Time: 17:00-18:15
Location: Ventilator cinema - (OT301, 2nd floor, Overtoom 301 Amsterdam) ‍‍
Tickets: Shorts : Vibrations from Gaza

‍I Would like to Visit (2017) 4'25" Canada
Director: Muhammad Nour Elkhairy
‍Synopsis:
I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT (2017), directed Muhammad Nour ElKhairy, is an experimental work that combines text and film to explore the simple desire to travel. Tracing the writing of a letter against an anxious soundtrack, the protagonist spirals into a complicated and uncertain process by way of the bureaucratic realities of settler colonialism, restricted mobility, and self-aware political frustration.
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I SIGNED THE PETITION (2018) 10' Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
‍Synopsis:
I SIGNED THE PETITION (2018), directed by Mahdi Fleifel, offers a philosophical debate between two friends on the importance of cultural boycott, who wonder whether or not individuals can truly make a difference within a system dominated by global powers. Unfolding through a phone conversation between the filmmaker and a friend who worries about having signed a petition asking Radiohead not to play in Tel-Aviv, the film navigates feelings of fear, guilt, and the vulnerability of individual choices in the face of collective struggle.

VIBRATIONS FROM GAZA (2023) 16' Palestine
Director: Rehab Nazzal
‍Synopsis:
VIBRATIONS FROM GAZA (2023), directed by Rehab Nazzal, delves into the daily lives of deaf children living in Gaza, a region under relentless siege. Through the testimonies of Amani, Musa, Israa, Mustafa, and others, the film highlights their experiences of soundlessness with frequent Israeli airstrikes and the omnipresent drones overhead. The children describe their awareness of missile strikes through vibrations in the air, the trembling earth, and the resonance of collapsing structures. This piece was made in collaboration with the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children.
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HOME MOVIES GAZA (2013) 24' Palestine, France
Director: Basma Alsharif
‍Synopsis:
HOME MOVIES GAZA (2013), directed by Basma al-Sharif, provides an evocative portrait of the Gaza Strip as a microcosm of civilization's failure. The film delves into the daily struggles of a region fighting for basic human rights, revealing a complicated and dilapidated reality impossible to separate from Gaza's political identity. Al-Sharif combines experimental visual effects and narration to juxtapose Gaza’s gritty skylines with intimate, domestic scenes. Sonically dissonant with an elliptical rhythm, the film balances reality and imagination, presenting Gazans' lives with poignant clarity and poetic depth.


STARING AT THE STATIC NOISE (2022) 6' Germany
Director: Sarah Zeryab
‍Synopsis:
STARING AT THE STATIC NOISE (2022), directed by Sarah Zeryab, stems from a visual essay that strives to navigate and deconstruct video, and exists as a companion piece to a blog entry reflecting on both a desire and a reluctance to write.  In a dynamic interplay of image and text as mutual creators, Zeryab’s haptically embodied diary piece meditates on the construction and deconstruction of what she coins as the “virtual self.”
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We No Longer Prefer Mountains + Talk  

We No Longer Prefer Mountains (2023) 96' Netherlands, Palestine
Director: Inas Halabi

Date: 13/10/2024
Time: 17:00-19:00
Location: Filmtheater Kriterion
Tickets: We No Longer Prefer Mountains

WE NO LONGER PREFER MOUNTAINS, directed by Inas Halabi, delves into the complex political and social realities of the Druze community living in occupied Palestine, using personal narratives as a lens. Through the candid voices of elders and young Druze, the film exposes oppressive, isolating landscapes and the forces shaping their lives. Delving into opposing nationalisms and imposed identities, this surreal work pulls viewers into an exploration of the community's relationship with the state, land, family, and the powers at play within senses of self.
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Shorts Programme: Moonscape

Date: 13/10/2024
Time: 19:00-20:15
Location: Ventilator cinema (OT301, 2nd floor, Overtoom 301 Amsterdam)‍‍
Tickets: Shorts: Moonscape

MARIAM (2020) 5' Palestine, Netherlands
Director: Dana Durr
Synopsis:
MARIAM, directed by Dana Durr, is an animated short that follows a woman's journey to find strength within herself through her culture and heritage after the loss of her cherished paradise. As she witnesses the destruction of a beloved tree, a broad and unbreakable bond is illustrated through motifs of olive trees and tatreez embroidery in this heartfelt film about the unity of people and their land.

ROOF KNOCKING (2017) 13' Palestine, Estonia
Director: Sina Salimi
Synopsis:
ROOF KNOCKING, directed by Sina Salimi, brings us into the home of a woman preparing a meal for her family in war-stricken Gaza during the month of Ramadan. Suddenly she receives a phone call from an Israeli soldier, alerting her of an imminent bombing of her building in 10 minutes.
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WADI AL-SALIB: TWO MINUTES (2022) 3'51" Palestine
Director: Bushra Barghouthi
Synopsis:
WADI AL-SALIB: TWO MINUTES, directed by Bushra Barghouthi, looks at Israel’s annual Yom HaShoah siren, which brings the entire country to a standstill for two minutes. As Israeli drivers and passengers pause in solemn remembrance, Barghouthi’s work reflects on broader chronicles of these moments of silence, juxtaposing them with the collective memories and histories that linger in the Wadi Al-Salib neighbourhood.

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HIDE & SEEK (2024) 24' Palestine
Director: Rami Abbas
Synopsis:
HIDE & SEEK, directed by Rami Abbas, is an animated short film that follows a child and his fish as they navigate the devastation of war. The film, divided into six chapters, captures the child’s journey from his war-torn town to the coast, highlighting the physical and psychological impacts of conflict. In paralleling the experiences of war in Syria and Palestine, the film underscores the profound effects of war on children.

STRAWBERRY (2017) 17' Palestine
Director: Aida Ka'adan
Synopsis:
STRAWBERRY, directed by Aida Ka’adan, follows Samir, a 43-year-old shoe shop owner in Ramallah, who has never seen the sea. Determined to fulfil this lifelong dream, he decides to sneak past the Israeli border with a group of Palestinian construction workers. However, instead of reaching the sea, he finds himself at a construction site, where a young worker named Anas asks him to help with the labour. The film captures the enduring struggle for simple pleasures amid the realities of life under occupation.

MOONSCAPE (2020) 17' Palestine
Director: Mona Benyamin
Synopsis:
MOONSCAPE, directed by Mona Benyamin, is a short-film-turned-music-video performed as a duet between a male and female singer in Arabic. The song poignantly tells the story of Dennis M. Hope, who, in 1980, declared ownership of the Moon and started the Lunar Embassy — a company that sells real estate on celestial bodies. Through notions of sovereignty, ownership, and the freedom of movement, this clever film highlights the ironies of colonialism.
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Aida Returns

Aida Returns (2023) 77' Lebanon
Director: Carol Mansour

Date: 13/10/2024
Time: 19:00-20:45
Location: Filmtheater Kriterion‍
Tickets: Aida Returns

Synopsis:
AIDA RETURNS, directed by Carol Mansour, follows the filmmaker as she engineers a way to return her mother to her ancestral land aided by an unlikely set of friends and strangers. Sometimes painful, sometimes humorous, often absurd, this is the story of multiple journeys: the journey of loss as the director’s mother Aida succumbs to Alzheimer’s; the journey of losing a parent; and the ultimate return journey to Yafa where Aida would finally find rest.
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