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Palestine Cinema Days Around the World is an annual international film festival organized by Filmlab Palestine. It aims to put Palestine on the map of the global cinema industry and the film scene.

As international news outlets, world leaders, and major social media platforms continue to censor and distort the narrative while fueling the dehumanization of Palestinians and their ongoing suffering, they are using their channels to support the forcibly canceled Palestine Cinema Days Festival.

More than 500 Palestinian film screenings take place around the world. This global effort is a show of solidarity with Palestine, an act of amplification for censored Palestinian voices, and a contribution to shifting the distorted narrative.

The film:

A State of Passion

Carol Mansour & Muna Khalidi Documentary, 90 min British-Palestinian surgeon Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah spent 43 days under Gaza’s bombardment, treating the wounded without rest. Facing horrific injuries, targeted hospitals, and orphaned children, his work became a symbol of resistance. This film explores his sixth and most harrowing Gaza war, his family’s fears, and the shared passion for Palestine that fuels his relentless humanitarian mission despite the danger.

The event will be introduced by Professor Susanna Helke. After the film, there will be a discussion on the themes of complicity, silence, and responsibility within academic institutions and society in Finland. The discussion will be moderated by Gautam Vishwanath, a Doctoral Researcher in Media at Aalto University and a member of Aalto Students for Palestine.

The panelists:

Sedeer el-Showk is a freelance science writer with a PhD in biology from the University of Helsinki. His work explores the intersection of science, society, and policy, and he is actively engaged in community organizing around principles of social justice.

Yacoub Almaqadma is a nurse from Gaza with firsthand experience in healthcare under extreme adversity. He is now an active community advocate in Finland, focusing on the critical role of health and wellbeing in social justice movements.

Renaz Ebrahimi is a Kurdish-Finnish journalist, DJ, and social justice educator known for her work on anti-racism and equality within the Finnish music industry and media. Her work is deeply informed by a commitment to transnational justice and solidarity, often through direct engagement and reportage.

See you there!

There are two more Palestine Cinema Days film screenings organised on the following day, the 2nd of November that we highly recommend:

Kiila ry and Sumud Helsinki in collaboration with Cinema Orion:

Palestine Cinema Days film screening

2nd of November, from 1pm to 4 pm, Cinema Orion, Eerikinkatu 15, Helsinki

· Maha Haj: Upshot (34 min)

· Annemarie Jacir: When I saw you (98 min)

Sumud Helsinki, in collaboration with Kiila ry:

Palestine Cinema Days film screening

As part of Café Palestine

2nd of November, from 4 pm to 7 pm, Oranssi, Kaasutehtaankatu 1, Helsinki

· Maha Haj: Upshot (34 min, screening at 16:30)

· Mohammed Bakri: Jenin Jenin (54 min, screening at 17:15)