Palestinians are often on our screens, but all too often in the context of unhappy news reports. A chance to get a more rounded view of Palestinian culture and politics arrives with the Palestine Film Festival, a wide range of events from 29 March until 3 May, at different venues.
The Palestine Film Pre-Festival features three warm-up events. The highlight sees screenings of two films (Port of Memory and The Roof) by director Kamal Aljafari, who will be on hand to discuss his work at a Hackney Picturehouse double bill on 29 March. Two further pre-Festival events take place at the same venue on the following two Thursdays. Tickets are £6-12. For the full programme, please visit the Pre-Festival's homepage.
The main event, the Palestine Film Festival, runs from 20 April until 3 May at the Barbican Cinema, SOAS and UCL. The Festival maps almost a century of films about Palestine, including comedies, dramas and shorts, some accompanied by Q&A sessions or panel discussions. Tickets at the Barbican cost £10, events at SOAS and UCL are free (donation on door). The full programme is here.
An exhibition accompanies the screenings. Navigations: Palestinian Videoart, 1988 to 2001 at the Barbican Centre gives further insight through the works of a dozen visual artists. The exhibtion runs 6-26 April, and is free.
