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
Speaker : Juman Quneis
Palestinian film-maker and journalist Juman Quenis came to study in Leeds in 2023.
In the depths of sadness after the events of October 7th, she was comforted by coming across a silent protest in Leeds city centre – women dressed in black with banners against Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
She was inspired to make a film
The Voice of Hind Rajab is a 2025 docudrama film, written and directed by Kaouther Ben Hania. It follows the killing of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who lived in the Gaza Strip and was killed by the IDF during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.
The film received a 23 minutes and 50 seconds standing ovation at
Comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi turns satire into resistance, employing humour to expose hard truths about the relationship between Israel and Palestine – where coexistence feels like a bad joke.
Eliassi is a former UN diplomat who traded traditional peace activism for stand-up. Her act embraces sharp, uncompromising humour to challenge deeply entrenched narratives about Israel and Palestine. Raised in the country’s
Focusing on the “legendary women of Gaza”, this event is a highlight of the Leeds Palestinian Film Festival.
It features women’s films and stories emerging from the last two years, and pays tribute to an astounding act of cultural resistance: the first Gaza International Festival of Women’s Cinema (GIFWC) taking place in Gaza city in October 2025.
Dr Ezzaldeen Shalh,
Palestinian political figure Marwan Barghouti, often described as the ‘Palestinian Nelson Mandela’, is serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison following what was seen by many as his unlawful arrest and imprisonment.
Barghouti’s story is told movingly by his wife Fadwa, as well as his children Sharaf, Arab and Qassam. The film follows his time in prison, his family
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk offers an intimate, first-hand perspective of life in Gaza, told through a series of video calls between filmmaker Sepideh Farsi and young Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona. Their digital dialogue became a vital record, bearing witness to everyday life, loss, and acts of resistance amid escalating violence.
Just a day after the film’s
Following many requests Helen is returning this year to offer another Palestinian embroidery day, this time looking at cross stitch Palestinian embroidery in the Tatreez tradition.
“We have selected a lovely motif from the Gaza region this year. It is based on a pomegranate flower. We will turn our embroideries into a card which can be used over the
There is Another Way tells the story of a group of visionaries who refuse to surrender to violence and injustice, and in doing so show that another path is possible – for them, for us, and for all humanity. As we are all faced with essential questions about who we are, will we choose collective liberation, where the needs, rights,
Yalla Parkour is a 2024 documentary film written and directed by Areeb Zuaiter in her directorial debut feature. The film follows Areeb Zuaiter in pursuit of a memory that reinforces her sense of belonging, and she crosses paths with Ahmed, a parkour athlete in Gaza.
Palestine 36— As villages across Mandatory Palestine rise against British colonial rule, Yusuf drifts between his rural home and the restless energy of Jerusalem, longing for a future beyond the growing unrest. But history is relentless. With rising numbers of Jewish immigrants escaping antisemitism in Europe, and the Palestinian population uniting in the largest and longest uprising against Britain’s 30-year dominion,
You are warmly invited to this family friendly event to celebrate Palestinian Street Art.
This art form has expressed Palestinian’s creativity, resilience and defiance under oppression for many years.
Come along, pick up a brush ,get messy and paint with us!
We will paint a mural, share food and watch short films to explore the history and importance of the
Yalla Parkour is a 2024 documentary film written and directed by Areeb Zuaiter in her directorial debut feature. The film follows Areeb Zuaiter in pursuit of a memory that reinforces her sense of belonging, and she crosses paths with Ahmed, a parkour athlete in Gaza.
