2 November 2025, 16:00–19:00 / Casco Art Institute: Working for the Commons, Lange Nieuwstraat 7, Utrecht
On the afternoon of Sunday, 2 November, we gather for a special film program in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle, joining the global cinema initiative led by Filmlab Palestine. Palestine Cinema Days: Around the World began in 2023 as a collective response to the silencing of Palestinian stories, after Filmlab Palestine was forced to cancel its annual Palestine Cinema Days Festival. The initiative gained even more urgency in response to the genocide in Gaza. Two years on, it continues to bring hundreds of screenings to cities across the world each 2 November, the day the Balfour Declaration was issued in 1917 by the British government, marking the start of the modern colonization of Palestinian land.
The program opens with Upshot (2024), a short film by Maha Haj. The story follows Suleiman and Mona, a couple living quietly on a remote farm, whose routine is disrupted by the arrival of Khalil, a journalist. His visit forces them to confront a long-buried tragedy: the loss of their five children to rocket fire.
Next comes Jenin, Jenin (2002). Directed by Mohammad Bakri, the documentary portrays the aftermath of the Israeli incursion into the Jenin refugee camp and captures both the grief and the unwavering determination of its inhabitants.
Doors open at 16:00. We start with a brief introduction to the films, and throughout and after the screenings, there is time for informal conversation and reflection. Light food and drinks are provided.
Schedule:
16:00 Doors open
16:30 Upshot (34 min)
17:30 Jenin, Jenin (54 min)
18:30 Closing
From 19:00 onward, Palestine Cinema Days continues around town at two locations. In the city centre, Slachtstraat Filmtheater presents When I Saw You(2012) by Annemarie Jacir and The Dupes (1972) by Tewfik Saleh. In the Cartesius area near Zuilen station, Kabul à GoGo screens A State of Passion(2024) by Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi.
If you are interested in hosting Palestine Cinema Days: Around the World, you can submit your screening through the form on their website.
