Well into the second month of Israel’s siege and bombardment of Gaza and the ongoing violence and intimidation in the Occupied West Bank, over 14,800 Palestinians have now been killed, with 7000 more thought to still be under the rubble. Over 77% of Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced, and are at immediate risk of starvation, dehydration and hypothermia now that winter has come, in addition to the ever-present risk of further air strikes and attacks. More than 800 Palestinians were forcibly displaced from their homes in the West Bank in the month following October 7th. It’s more important than ever that we keep speaking up, keep learning, keep boycotting and keep putting pressure on our governments – genocide should not be paused, it must be stopped.
Whether you’re looking for documentaries which will give you a solid grounding in the history of Palestine, historical dramas which bring the impact of the Nakba into sharp focus, celebrations of Palestinian culture and persistence, or films which bring home the appalling realities of life under occupation, this list of feature films, documentaries and shorts covers everything.
Many of these films are available to stream online, some for free, and others are showing at film festivals across the world – keep an eye out for one near you! For more on Palestine, don’t miss our reading list and our roundup of things you can do to support Palestinians.
Palestine 1920: The Other Side of the Palestinian Story | Documentary
This documentary by Al Jazeera focuses on Palestine in the early 1900s and the flourishing trade networks, industry, transport and education systems, civil society and cultural scene which spanned the country prior to the Nakba. Concise and accessible explanations of the Balfour Declaration, the San Remo Conference and the increasing waves of immigration into Palestine in the 1930s and 1940s make this documentary a perfect primer on the background of the formation of the state of Israel. It is sobering that this entire documentary was designed as an irrefutable rebuttal to the Zionist denial that Palestine was anything more than an empty land.
Available to watch for free on YouTube.
Al Nakba: The Palestinian Catastrophe | Documentary
This four-part Al Jazeera documentary tells the full story of the most defining event in 20th century Palestinian history: the violent expulsion of over 700,000 Palestinians from their homes during the 1948 war and the destruction of over 500 Palestinian villages, known as the Nakba (The Catastrophe). It highlights the colonial origins of the Nakba, how Palestinians today continue to suffer its consequences, and why it is such a pivotal piece of Palestinian history.
Available to stream for free on YouTube.
Farha | Historical Drama
A firm favourite at film festivals across the world, Farha made headlines when it began streaming on Netflix at the beginning of December 2022. Farha tells the true story of a young Palestinian girl caught in the wave of massacres which took place across Palestine during the Nakba. Hidden in a pantry by her desperate father as Israeli soldiers approach their village, Farha secretly witnesses the murders of a family with two young children who had taken shelter in her home. Her father never returns, and Farha must figure out how to escape and survive.
The film, its stars, and its crew were subject to scathing attacks by Israeli critics, social media harassment, a ‘downvoting’ campaign on IMDb, calls for subscribers to cancel their Netflix subscriptions en masse, and there were even government sanctions against an Israeli theatre which dared to show it.
Available to stream on Netflix.
Tantura | Documentary
In 1998, graduate student Teddy Katz submitted his masters thesis based on first-hand testimonies of the massacre at a Palestinian village which he had collected and taped. His research sought to prove that scores of Palestinians were killed at Tantura after the surrender of the village during the Nakba in 1948. Katz taped witness statements from both the Israeli paramilitaries who attacked the village, and Palestinian survivors of the massacre.
After he published his thesis, he was threatened, sued and silenced. More than twenty years later, filmmaker Alon Schwarz persuaded him to share his tapes, which form the backbone of Tantura. The film adds video interviews to Katz’s collection of tapes, including conversations with the former soldiers, historians, and those who were involved in Katz’s trial. One witness describes how victims were forced into a barrel and then shot. Another estimates that he helped to bury more than 270 bodies. Tantura refuses to allow the horrors of the past to be concealed, at least in our minds – despite the fact that in Tantura itself, a car park was built over the sites of the mass graves.
Ismail | Short Film
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 Alsharif’s 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 | Historical Drama
Set in 1967 in the wake of the Six-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 Netflix.
Three Promises | Documentary
As the bombs rained down around her during the Israeli response to the Second Intifada in the early 2000s, Suha Srouji picked up a video camera and recorded her family life. We’re given a front-row seat as her young children are forced to shelter from air strikes, as she makes a deal with God to keep them alive, and as the family wrestles with deciding whether to leave their homeland forever to find safety abroad.
5 Broken Cameras | Documentary
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 for online rental at the British Film Institute.
Born in Gaza | Documentary
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.
Israel: The Architecture of Violence | Documentary
In this short documentary, Eyal Weizman, British-Israeli architect, professor, and director of Forensic Architecture, explains how Israel has weaponized architecture itself. Weizman deconstructs the matrix of walls, fences, checkpoints and the ‘apartheid roads’ which only serve Israeli communities, and explains how they are used to control, surveil and oppress.
He shows us how the IDF uses bulldozers in urban warfare to clear paths through Palestinian neighbourhoods wide enough for Israeli tanks, demonstrates how the settler’s houses themselves are used as a tool of control, and dissects seemingly aesthetic architectural choices which in fact serve a darker purpose, such as the building codes that stipulate red roof tiles which allow IDF planes to identify where to bomb from the air. This powerful half hour watch will stay with you for a long time.
Available to stream online for free here.
Gaza Fights for Freedom | Documentary
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 who were killed, highlighting the extraordinary courage Gazans continue to show in the face of violence, siege and brutality.
Available to stream for free on YouTube.
Stitching Palestine | Documentary
Focusing in particular on women’s stories within the history of Palestine and the Nakba, this documentary traces the family histories and expulsions of a group of Palestinian women including Leila Khaled, the former militant and ‘poster girl’ of the Palestinian resistance and Suad Amiry, celebrated author, architect and professor, as well as prominent lawyers, psychotherapists, artists, activists and embroiderers with the INAASH Foundation. As well as powerful explorations of identity, dispossession and loss, Stitching Palestine also touches on issues of class and gender, and paints a picture of the rich tapestry of society that was destroyed in 1948, as well as the women who are fighting to keep its heritage alive.
“Now our country is gone, … but we have Tatreez, and this, no one can take
away from you. When you’re embroidering a piece, it is yours”
Available to watch online on a pay-as-you-feel basis through Eventive.
I Come From Palestine | Animated Short Film
This award-winning animated film is a heartwarming reminder of the importance of home and of knowing where you come from. Short and sweet, I Come From Palestine is a perfect tool to use when talking to young children about Palestine and Gaza.
You can watch I Come From Palestine for free on YouTube.
Coming Home | Documentary
This short film, beautifully shot on 16mm film, is an ode to dabke, and to the powerful way it links a group of Palestinian-Americans in Brooklyn with their homeland and with each other. Dabke is a traditional dance performed across the Levant, and the Palestinian varieties have come to be a potent symbol of Palestinian identity and persistence.
Available to watch for free through Take One Action.
Huda’s Salon | Thriller
The seemingly innocuous setting of the opening scene of this gripping thriller belies the hefty punch this film packs. Another triumph by celebrated Palestinian-Dutch director Hany Abu-Assad, Huda’s Salon is an edge of the seat watch from start to finish. We watch as a convivial chat at a salon in Bethlehem in the Occupied West Bank takes a dark turn, when Huda forces her client Reem into an unimaginable situation (skip watching the trailer if you’d prefer to save the full impact of the scene).
Armed with potent evidence to blackmail Reem, Huda then reveals that she is an informer for the occupying Israeli secret service, and that Reem has no choice but to join her. Caught between betraying her community or risking everything if her jealous husband finds out what has happened, Reem is plunged even further into danger when Huda is captured by Palestinian agents determined to root out the traitors among them.
The Present | Short Film
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.
What other films about Palestine would you recommend? Leave a comment and let us know!
If you enjoyed this article, you may also like:
Gaza & Palestine | What You CAN Do
The Secret World of Tatreez: From Orange Blossoms to the Nakba
Identity & Resistance: Wafa Ghnaim And Her Work With Tatreez