During a period when the narration of Palestinian realities has become increasingly narrow — in art, online culture, and public life — portrayals of Gaza’s daily life are often filtered through a Western gaze. Against this backdrop, the Athens Palestine Film Festival (APFF) returns for its fourth edition, opening a vital window into Palestinian life, identity, and creativity through the universal language of cinema.
Running from October 16 to November 16, this year’s festival presents a carefully curated program of documentaries, fiction films, experimental works, and shorts by both emerging and established Palestinian filmmakers. Through stories rooted in memory, resilience, and lived experience, the festival invites Greek and international audiences to engage with perspectives that rarely reach mainstream screens.
A Month of Cinema and Dialogue
Beyond its screenings, the APFF cultivates spaces of dialogue and participation, hosting open discussions, artist talks, workshops, and thematic conversations. Through partnerships with major cultural institutions, the festival serves as a bridge between Palestine and diverse communities in Greece, shedding light on unseen realities while fostering creativity, empathy, and understanding.
Screenings will be held at Trianon, Studio New Star Art Cinema, and Newman, among other central venues. All films are subtitled in Greek and English.
Main Screening Program
16–19 October — Trianon Cinema
The festival opened on October 16 with a sold-out screening of The Voice of Hind Rajab, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, directed by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania.
Friday, 17/10
19:00 — Palescope Vital Shorts 1: Mother is a Homeland (83’)
Mother is a Homeland explores how family becomes an inner sanctuary, built and sustained through hard choices. These are not just stories, but family recipes for survival — the ingredients of what makes a homeland.
21:00 — Ambulance (78’) by Mohamed Jabaly
Saturday, 18/10
19:00 — Palescope Vital Shorts 2: To Map a Memory (97’)
To Map a Memory undertakes the urgent cartography of Palestinian memory — not as passive recollection, but as active resistance. Each film becomes a coordinate in the enduring geography of a people.
21:00 — Passing Dreams (79’) by Rashid Masharawi
Stil frame from by Rashid Masharawi’s film “Passing Dreams”. / Credit: Athens Palestine Film Festival
Sunday, 19/10
19:00 — Palescope Vital Shorts 3: Future is Present (93’)
Future is Present traces how the Palestinian future is being built now. Four short works prove that the future is not a distant possibility but a present battleground where the will to exist, persist, and be free unfolds.
21:00 — To a Land Unknown (105’) by Mahdi Fleifel
Still frame from the movie “To a Land Unknown”/ Credit: Athens Palestine Film Festival
24–26 October — Studio New Star Art Cinema
Friday, 24/10
20:00 — The Phoenix of Gaza (51’) by Yousef Al Helou
Saturday, 25/10
20:00 — Gaza Calling (63’) by Nahed Awwad
Sunday, 26/10
20:00 — My Love Awaits You by the Sea (80’) by Mais Darwazeh
13–16 November — Newman Cinema
Thursday, 13/11
20:00 — All That’s Left of You (145’) by Cherien Dabis
Poster of the film “All that’s Left of You”. Credit: Athens Palestine Film Festival
Friday, 14/11
19:00 — Thank You for Banking with Us (90’) by Laila Abbas
21:00 — Ghost Hunting (94’) by Raed Andoni
Saturday, 15/11
19:00 — Naila and the Uprising (76’) by Julia Bacha
21:00 — Once Upon a Time in Gaza (90’) by Tarzan & Arab Nasser
Sunday, 16/11 — Closing Ceremony
19:00 — Closing Event
19:30 — A Fidai Film (78’) by Kamal Jafari
For detailed film descriptions, visit the festival’s official website.
In Frame: Art Beyond the Screen
Running parallel to the festival, the In Frame initiative brings Palestinian visual culture to Greece for the first time. Curated by the Greek-Palestinian cultural organization Dounias, the program includes art film screenings, poetry readings, workshops, and artist talks exploring themes of land, memory, gender, and heritage.
Highlights include:
- The Last Butterfly — A poetry night for Gaza
Greek artists Martha Frintzila, Sophia Hill, and Eleni Kokkidou read translated works by Palestinian poets, followed by a live reading by Hend Joudeh, creating a bilingual act of remembrance and resistance. (October 30, Baumstrasse
- A State of Passion (Carol Mansour & Muna Khalidi) — Documentary screening in collaboration with Palestine Cinema Days, tracing Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah’s experience inside Gaza’s hospitals during the recent bombardments. (November 2, Studio New Star Art)
- Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk (Sepideh Farsi) — A moving record of life in Gaza captured through digital conversations with journalist Fatma Hassona, who was later killed in an airstrike. (November 5, Greek Film Archive, with WIFT Greece)
- Waves of Remembrance and Powerful Suns — Workshop with Eliana Otta, exploring how art and collective presence help process grief and resilience. (November 10, Noucmas space)
- Gaza: How Did We Get There and Where Are We Going? — Lecture and discussion with political scientist Norman Finkelstein, in collaboration with Panteion University. (November 12)
- In the East There Is No Homeland Without War — A poetic performance by Carol Sansour and the Kalogeraki Brothers, merging Greek and Arabic voices through the words of poet Katerina Gogou. (November 16, Newman Cinema)
About the Organizers
The Athens Palestine Film Festival is organized by Dounias, an independent non-profit cultural organization. Meaning “world” in both Greek and Arabic, Dounias is dedicated to fostering creative dialogue and cultural exchange between Palestine and Greece. Its mission is to create spaces for engagement, understanding, and artistic collaboration — essential building blocks for open and resilient communities.
For tickets and more info please go here.
