From November 28th to December 11th 2014, the London Palestine Film Festival (LPFF) returns with the finest new docs, dramas, and shorts on and from the region.
Festival programme: palestinefilm.org
The two week programme, at the Barbican Cinema and University of London venues, showcases over 40 international titles accompanied by director Q&As, panel discussions, and research presentations.
Along with hard-hitting docs and political thrillers, audiences can expect comedies, family-friendly adventures, and stoner capers to rub shoulders with the archival and the avant-garde.
The Festival opens with the UK Premiere of Najwa Najjar’s Eyes of a Thief – Palestine’s nomination for next year’s Oscars. The follow-up to her award-winning Pomegranates and Myrrh (2008), Najjar’s taut thriller follows a recently-¬-released prisoner whose search for his daughter pitches him into a world of political intrigue and moral uncertainty in the contemporary West Bank. The film casts Egyptian star Khaled Abol Naga alongside celebrated Algerian singer--songwriter Souad Massi – a revelation in her debut film role.
Other compelling dramas include family adventure Giraffada, in which a father and son set out to rescue Palestine’s last giraffe, and Villa Touma, a dark comedy of manners from award-winning scriptwriter Suha Arraf (Lemon Tree, 2008). A programme of stunning new shorts celebrates emerging talent, with period pieces, action thrillers, satires, and the surreal all on offer.
Timely new docs, thematic bills, and panel talks feature throughout: Highlights include a pair of triple-bills focusing on the Gaza Strip and the city of Ramallah as depicted in quality new work by local and visiting directors. Expertpanels meanwhile address topical issues including the representation of Palestine on UK factual TV and the roles of architecture in the conflict.
With the issue of Palestine never more urgent, and with productions increasingly diverse, the Festival offers UK audiences an unrivalled engagement with one of the most pressing issues of our time.