Palestine has made headlines around the world after the May 2021 #SaveSheikhJarrah campaign on social media drew global attention to the reality of life under occupation and siege in the West Bank and Gaza. For the first time ever, it felt like the world was beginning to wake up to the injustices the Palestinian people have been experiencing for the last seventy years, with people from a wide array of backgrounds tweeting and posting in solidarity Palestinians.
If you want to learn more about the situation in Palestine but aren’t sure where to start, this list contains seven movies, short films, and documentaries to help you understand what’s happening and how we got here.
Share your own recommendations in the comments below!
Al Nakba: The Palestinian Catastrophe (2013)
This four-part Al Jazeera documentary tells the full story of the most defining event in recent Palestinian history: the expulsion of over 700,000 Palestinians from their homes during the 1948 war, known as the Nakba (catastrophe). It highlights the colonial origins of the Nakba, how Palestinians today continue to suffer its consequences, and why it is such a symbolic piece of Palestinian history.
Available to stream for free on YouTube.
Ismail (2010)
Directed by Palestinian Director Nora Alsharif, Ismail tells the story of a young Palestinian refugee in 1949 struggling to support his family, who unwittingly stumbles into a minefield with his little brother and must find a way to safety. The short film was based on a story written by her late father and dedicated to the life of Ismail Shammout, a Palestinian refugee who eventually made it to Rome to fulfil his dream as a painter. The film highlights the daily struggles and dangers Palestinian refugees faced after the Nakba.
Available to stream for free on YouTube.
When I Saw You (2012)
Set in 1967 in the wake of the Sixteen Day War, When I Saw You tells the powerful story of brave 11-year-old Tarek, who has been forced to flee his home in Palestine for Jordan among a wave of refugees. Tarek and his mother, Ghaydaa, are forced to stay in temporary camps and wait, like the generation of refugees from 1948, in hope that they might one day be allowed to return. Longing to be reunited with his father, Tarek looks for a way out and finds himself in the unlikely company of a group of resistance fighters.
Available to stream on Amazon Prime.
5 Broken Cameras (2012)
5 Broken Cameras is a self-directed film documenting the life of Emad Burnat, a Palestinian farm labourer in the West Bank village of Bil’in. Shot exclusively on his own cameras, each of which were destroyed in the process, the film tells the story of one family’s struggle against occupation and violence at the hands of Israeli soldiers and settlers. For Emad, the very act of filming and bearing witness to the destruction and occupation of his village is his form of resistance.
Available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Born in Gaza (2014)
This hard-hitting documentary follows the lives of a group of Palestinian children following the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip in 2014 which left 507 children dead and 3,598 wounded. It powerfully highlights the excruciating reality for Gazan children, living in a war zone with no way out. Although difficult to watch, Born in Gaza is essential viewing to remind us of the human cost of war and occupation.
Available to stream on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Gaza Fights for Freedom (2019)
Gaza Fights for Freedom is a film by American journalist Abby Martin which documents the Great March of Return protests which took place in Gaza in 2018-19, during which 200 unarmed civilians were killed by Israeli snipers. The film tells the stories of some of the civilians killed, highlighting the extraordinary courage Gazans continue to show in the face of violence, siege and brutality.
Available to stream for free on YouTube.
The Present (2020)
Directed by Farah al-Nabulsi and nominated for an Academy Award in 2021, The Present tells the story of Yusuf, who sets out from his home in the West Bank with his young daughter to buy his wife a present for their wedding anniversary. The short film highlights the daily frustrations and injustices of life under occupation in the West Bank, showing the countless obstacles – from checkpoints to armed soldiers and segregated roads – that ordinary Palestinians must battle to achieve the simplest of things, like going shopping, in their homeland.
Available to stream on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Did we miss anything?! Share your Palestine film recommendations in the comments below.
Looking for more resources on Palestine? Check out our reading list of 13 essential books to help you understand Palestine and our list of 6 ways to support Palestinians today! We also put together a helpful explainer post about the Palestinian struggle and how things got to where they are today.