As we confront the relentless genocide in Gaza and the decades-long Nakba—the catastrophe that has ravaged our lands and lives—we feel an urgent responsibility to amplify our voices. Today, more than ever, it is crucial that we share our stories, for they embody our resistance against not just the Israeli war machine, but the institutions of the global north that seek to silence and distort our truth.
Our narratives are acts of defiance, vital to our liberation. By supporting Palestinian filmmakers, watching our films, and engaging with our art, you stand in solidarity with us and join us in the struggle for justice. You become part of the Palestinian resistance; a role you should embrace with passion and pride. As you stand in solidarity with us, we remind you that it is imperative for you to challenge your institutions and hold them to account for suppressing, censoring, and criminalising Palestinian culture. The erasure of culture is a legal element of genocide, and history will remember where our institutions stood in this moment.
We have endured devastating losses: our universities, our schools, our theatres, our cultural centres; we have lost poets, singers, writers, journalists, and filmmakers—not just this past year in Gaza, but as a result of nearly 80 years of brutal occupation and ethnic cleansing. This is not just our loss but a loss for the world.
This October, the Ministry of Health in Gaza revealed the harrowing reality that 902 entire families have been erased from the civil registry—an act of annihilation unparalleled even in our decades-long nakba.
Yet here we stand, unyielding. Our people, our stories, and our resistance will not be extinguished. We are proud to represent the cultural resistance at IDFA this year. To our peoples throughout Palestine and Lebanon that are being relentlessly targeted by the Israeli war machine, and those throughout the diaspora, we stand together in this most difficult period of our lives and remain committed to our struggle for liberation.
We therefore extend a warm welcome to our Palestinian filmmakers, whose films will be screened at IDFA in the various sections of the festival. We encourage everyone to attend their screenings:
Palestine Documentaries @ IDFA 2024
