TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Movies raising themes of Palestinian lives and struggles are screened in various countries parallel to the escalation of the Israeli genocide in the Gaza enclave. The documentary No Other Land (2024), co-directed by Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, and Hamdan Ballal, was crowned the Best Documentary Feature Film at the 2025 Oscars last March.
The growing attention on Palestinian films follows the decision of the UN General Assembly to adopt the New York Declaration supporting the realization of an independent Palestinian state on Friday, September 12. A total of 142 countries voted in favor, 10 countries voted against, while 12 others abstained.
No Other Land Unveils the Suffering of the Palestinian People
In Indonesia, the film No Other Land was first screened in theaters on March 7, 2025, followed by the streaming service Klik Film throughout April 2025. The film tells the story of the suffering of the Palestinian people through a humanistic lens, providing in-depth insights into their struggle and hope amidst the prolonged conflict.
This documentary project was produced over four years from 2019-2023. They wrapped up production just a few days before the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel and the subsequent escalation of Israeli genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.
During the 2023 Madani Film Festival, the annual film festival featured a program titled Focus: Palestine showcasing films by Mohanad Yaqubi and Ameen Nayfeh, both directors from Palestine. These films included RK21 AKA Restoring Solidarity (2021), based on 20 film archives about Palestine and their resistance preserved by a pro-Palestinian activist group in Japan.
The Teacher and Walled Off: Palestinian Resistance
The Madani Film Festival also screened Off Frame AKA Revolution Until Victory, which became the reason for their encounter with film archives about Palestine in Japan, and the short film No Exit (2014). Additionally, the film 200 Meters, an in-depth fictional family drama film about Palestine, was also screened.
"This lighthearted drama will illustrate the concrete issues faced by vulnerable Palestinians in the face of the occupying state," wrote Hikmat Darmawan on the Madani Film Festival website.
In 2024, the Madani Film Festival concluded its event with Focus: Palestine, featuring two Palestinian films, The Teacher (2023) by Farah Nabulsi and Walled Off (2024) by Vin Arfuso.
The Teacher movie poster. Photo: Wikipedia.
The Teacher tells the story of Basem, a Palestinian teacher who struggles with the death of his son and engages in political resistance. His life takes a drastic turn as he bonds with his student, but the abduction of an Israeli soldier by a Palestinian resistance group escalates tension into turmoil.
"I needed to make this film to cope with the injustice I've witnessed. The arts play a crucial role in changing the world; I believe film precedes them all. It gives voice to the silenced, thereby helping build the empathy and understanding needed to effect change," said Nabulsi, as quoted from the Madani Film Festival website.
Meanwhile, Walled Off records the lives of the Palestinian people under the Israeli occupation through a secret museum in an art hotel created by controversial artist Banksy. The film utilizes the provocative power of art, ranging from sharp satire by Banksy to unfiltered criticism of socio-political issues, and the resistance actions by the people and government of Palestine.
Sneak Peek into Palestine Cinema Days 2025
The excitement of Palestinian film screenings extends to Filmlab Palestine. Through Instagram, they invite film enthusiasts from around the world to participate in Palestine Cinema Days 2025. Filmlab Palestine will provide copies of Palestinian films as well as promotional materials for cinemas and communities willing to be involved.
For those who want to participate in the Palestine Cinema Days screening, they can go through three stages starting from choosing a location to watch, visiting the Filmlab Palestine website to select the films to be screened, and filling out the provided form to receive a copy of the film. "Let's bring Palestine Cinema Days around the world. Everywhere," they wrote.
As for the available films, they include When I Saw You (2012) by Annemarie Jacir, Upshot (2024) by Maha Haj, A State Of Passion (2024) by Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi, The Dupes (1972) by Tewfik Saleh, Divine Intervention (2002) by Elia Suleiman, Jenin, Jenin (2003) by Mohammad Bakri, and Bye Bye Tiberias (2023) by Lina Soualem. Palestine Cinema Days Around the World will be held simultaneously worldwide on November 2, 2025.
Meanwhile, through the Solidarity Cinema website, over 9,000 films are presented to the audience with Palestinian themes. "We believe liberatory media should be as free as the future we struggle toward. We’ll do our best to collectively update and maintain the library and catalog. For now the catalog is updated occasionally, but films are added regularly," they wrote.
Indonesian Film on Palestine
Hayya 3: Gaza movie poster. Photo: Wikipedia.
A Palestine-themed Indonesian film, Hayya 3: Gaza, directed by Jastis Arimba, premiered in theaters from June 1 to July 20, 2025. The film was produced by Helvy Tiana Rosa and Oki Setiana Dewi through Warna Pictures.
Hayya 3: Gaza tells the story of Abdullah Gaza (Azamy Syauqi), familiarly known as Gaza, an orphan. His humanitarian volunteer father died upon returning from Palestine. Since his father's death, Gaza was entrusted to an orphanage managed by Ustadzah Dewi (Oki Setiana Dewi) and his sister Rafah Shafira (Cut Syifa). There, Gaza meets Hayya (Amna Shahab), a young girl from Palestine who has been living in and striving for peace in the country for four years.
During its theater run, the film was watched by around 150,000 viewers. Around 40 percent of the ticket sales were donated to the people of Palestine through humanitarian organizations.
Editor’s Choice: Palestine-Israel Film, 'No Other Land,' Wins Oscar 2025 for Best Documentary
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