The closing event of this year’s festival features 3 short films showing how art functions as a means of persistence and resistance in the face of attempted erasure. Through their work, the featured artists bear witness, provoke change, inspire solidarity and reaffirm the fundamental values of life and humanity.
In parallel with the screenings, Heart will also be hosting an exhibition of works by five artists from Gaza.
Curated by renowned Gazan artist and filmmaker Mohamed Harb in collaboration with Artists Supporting Palestine, the exhibition provides an opportunity for visitors to view and purchase prints of original works by artists Mohamed Harb, Ayman Essa, Abdul Nasser Amer, Maisara Baroud and Mohamad Alfarra.
All proceeds from sales will go directly to the artists to help them support themselves and their families.
The films
Film 1: Naji al-Ali: An Artist with a Vision
Documentary 1999 (Iraq, Palestine, UK)
Language: Arabic/English subtitles
53 Minutes
Director: Kasim Abid
Naji Al-Ali: An Artist with Vision tells the story of the Palestinian cartoonist behind Handala, the barefoot refugee boy who became a symbol of resistance. Through interviews and imagery, the film explores Al-Ali’s fearless art, his fight for justice, and the risks that led to his assassination in 1987.
Film 2: No Words
Documentary 2024 (UK)
Director: Hunter Logan
Language: English
7 minutes
Watch Palestinian artist and activist Malak Mattar embark on her boldest work yet: a colossal painting of loss, resistance, and hope. Recalling her experiences growing up in occupied Gaza, No Words bears witness to her life there and joins the global call for a ceasefire and an end to the Israel-Hamas war.
Film 3: Art in Ruins – Mohamed Harb
We hope to be able to screen a currently in production documentary from renowned Gazan artist and filmmaker Mohamed Harb. The documentary will provide an insight into life as an artist during a time of genocide and extreme hardship. Mohamed, like many other artists in Gaza, has lost his studio to Israeli bombs and has been forced to swap his works for basic provisions such as a bag of flour, even having to burn canvas stretchers to boil water.
