LONDON PALESTINE FILM FESTIVAL 2026
NOVEMBER 13 - 27
A LIFE IN CINEMA: A TRIBUTE TO MOHAMMAD BAKRI +SCREEN TALK
JANIN, JENIN | LE MONDE | SINCE YOU LEFT
friDAY 20 NOVEMBER | 20:00
Riverside studios, 101 QUEEN CAROLINE ST, london W6 9BN
London Palestine Film Festival 2026 presents a tribute to Mohammad Bakri (1953–2025), the Palestinian actor and filmmaker whose career helped shape Palestinian cinema and theatre.
A familiar presence at previous editions of LPFF, Bakri remains an important part of the festival and its history. To honour his filmmaking, we present three of his works, spanning two decades — from his return to Jenin to reflections on memory and loss. Together, they offer a glimpse into the work of an artist who spent more than half a century telling Palestinian stories on screen and on stage.
Bakri also appears in other screenings throughout this year’s festival. His enduring legacy will remain part of LPFF for years to come, celebrated by filmmakers, artists and audiences alike.
Janin, Jenin (Mohammad Bakri, 2024, 61')
Twenty-one years after making his landmark documentary about the Israeli invasion of Jenin refugee camp, Mohammad Bakri returns with his camera as history repeats itself. As the legal battle over his original film continues, he documents the devastation of the 2023 assault and the enduring reality of a community under attack.
Le Monde (Mohammad Bakri, 2026, 6')
Inside a café-restaurant, a birthday celebration unfolds as people remain absorbed in their private worlds while images of the war in Gaza play silently on a television. A seventy-year-old blind man, sitting with his daughter, is the only person who seems to register what is happening. He leaves at the height of the celebration, prompting a reflection on what it truly means to see.
Since You Left (Mohammad Bakri, 2005, 58')
Following the death of Palestinian writer and politician Emile Habibi, Mohammad Bakri reflects on his mentor, his country and the events that transformed his own life. Neither eulogy nor biography, the film moves between personal memory and political history in an intimate meditation on Palestine, exile, belonging and the responsibility of bearing witness.
Followed by a screentalk with Saleh Bakri