A pair of documentary films on Gaza and Gazan experiences, followed by a Q&A with Ahmed Alnaouq, a Palestinian journalist from Gaza and the co-founder of We Are Not Numbers, a collective which trains the next generation of Palestinian writers to publish their stories in English.
Between Two Crossings بين معبرين (PG) by Yassir Murtaja and Rushdi Al-Sarraj
A documentary film following the journey of Nour, a Palestinian student from Gaza with a scholarship to enrol in Portland State University in the United States. In order to get there, Nour struggles to find a way to travel through the only two gates separating the Gaza Strip from the rest of the world: Erez Checkpoint, controlled by Israel; and Rafah Crossing, controlled by Egypt.
Director Yassir Murtaja was a Palestinian journalist and filmmaker from Gaza. He was shot and killed by an Israeli sniper while covering the Great March of Return on April 6, 2018. Many people around the world witnessed Yassir’s wish before he died through his Facebook status: that one day he wanted to be able to see Gaza and the world from the window of an aeroplane. Co-director Rushdi Al-Sarraj was Yassir's best friend and creative partner. He was killed in Gaza on October 22, 2023, by a targeted bomb from an Israeli warplane dropped on his house.
We share this film in honour of their memory.
Genre: Documentary | Year of Release: 2018 | Original Language: Arabic | Subtitles: English
Gaza, Footbullet غزة رصاصه بالقدم (U) by Iyad Alasttal
A team of amputee Palestinian footballers prepare to meet their French counterparts as part of a series of sporting, cultural and solidarity meetings.
Genre: Documentary, Sports | Year of Release: 2021| Original Languages: Arabic, French | Subtitles: English
Falastin Film Festival (FFF) is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit collective of Palestinians and allies dedicated to bringing Palestinian art to Edinburgh and Highland audiences. Palestinians are often summed up as an ‘occupied people,’ and spoken for, though they have their own stories to tell. Using cinema as a tool of resistance the festival strives to decolonize the narrative and equip audiences with historical context. There is a desire to build community while celebrating Palestinian art and culture through cinema, music, cuisine, and other storytelling mediums. Scotland’s exposure to Palestinian society, art, culture, and humanity altogether remains rather limited. FFF hopes to fill this gap, using both classical and contemporary cinema primarily but not exclusively. They strive to highlight Palestinian steadfast resistance, cultural preservation, stories of love, and in the words of poet Rafeef Ziadah, teachings of life. In so doing, they offer a refreshing portrayal that encompasses the geographic, linguistic, and experiential diversity of the Palestinian people globally.
Visit their website falastinfilmfest.com or follow them on social media @falastinfilmfest.
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Want to be the first to hear about what's happening in Edinburgh? Follow us on Facebook and join the What's On Scotland Group!Loud Poets invite poets to share their work at their regular open mic, taking place monthly at the Scottish Storytelling Centre.
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READ MOREA Wheen o’ Wimmin present Singing Our Stories, featuring five celebrated Scots singers who’ve shared many a stage both great and small.
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READ MORECatch Susanna Orr Holland, an experimental world folk singer-songwriter, at the Scottish Storytelling Centre on 21st November for the launch of her second album!
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READ MOREGet your mid-2000s fashion on and practice your Murder on the Dancefloor moves, because you’re cordially invited to a very special free screening of Saltburn for students only at Cameo Picturehouse.
READ MOREVisit The Space Dome at The Centre, Livingston from 18th-27th October and enjoy a 360° planetarium film experience through the galaxy as well as science-themed activities!
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READ MORELes Diaboliques is a 1955 French psychological horror thriller film with a brilliant twist ending. Catch is at Institut français d’Écosse on Friday 24th October!
READ MORECome along to Filmhouse on 26th October and watch short films created by people from a global majority background, people with experience of migration, and young parents.
READ MOREJoin us at the Institut français d'Ecosse for the very first Cinetopia Salon, a new monthly gathering where cinema meets live performance, nibbles and drinks, and good conversation!
READ MORESilent Screen Scotland returns to Edinburgh with "Fright Night: Silent Movie Screening" - a candlelit screening of Nosferatu accompanied by live score at the Institut français d'Écosse!
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