Palestinian Film Festival 2015

Overview

Stories from one of the most volatile regions on earth will be in the spotlight at Australia's Palestinian Film Festival. Hosted at Palace Norton Street in Leichhardt, this year's program includes seven full length features and five shorts that showcase the experiences of Palestinians, from Gaza to the West Bank and beyond.

The festival begins with animated documentary The Wanted 18, a tragicomic true tale about how a herd of Palestinian cows became the centrepiece of a protest against Israeli occupation. Degrade, meanwhile, takes place almost entirely within a Gaza beauty salon, where employees attempt to maintain some semblance of normalcy while violence rages just outside their door. But the most intriguing film in the program would have to be The Idol. Directed by two-time Oscar nominee Hany Abu-Assad, the movie tells the true story of a wedding singer from a Gaza refugee camp who became the second ever winner of Arab Idol.

For the full festival program, visit palestinianfilmfestival.com.au