london palestine film festival 2025
NOVEMBER 14 - 28
SHORTS SESSION: FRAGMENTS OF LIFE +GUIDED DISCUSSION
BORN A CELEBRITY | FIN | CANARY IN A COAL MINE | WHAT IF THEY BOMB HERE TONIGHT? | UPSHOT
Wednesday 26 NOVEMBER | 18:20
curzon hoxton, 55 Pitfield St, London N1 6BU
This session examines the fragile balance between survival and surrender: These five intimate stories from Palestine and Lebanon explore personal freedom, fear, corruption, loss, and resilience amid daily struggles and hardship.
Born a Celebrity
Palestine, 2024, Luay Awwad, 13
After no longer finding it bearable to live at home with his parents, Kamel, a twenty-five year old Palestinian, embarks on a journey of looking for his personal freedom and own space in a close-knit community.
Fin
Palestine, 2025, Ward Kayyal, 5'
On a stormy night, a man walks through Haifa’s empty streets, trying to light his cigarette in the heavy rain. As the flame fails him again and again, he encounters the unexpected.
Canary in a Coal Mine
Lebanon, 2023, Dwan Kaoukji, 20
While guarding his aunt’s house in a remote Lebanese village one night, Anis is forced to pretend he is a thief to save his life during a break-in. When the thieves turn out to be police, this dark comedy exposes Lebanon’s deep corruption and absurd complicity.
What If They Bomb Here Tonight?
Lebanon, 2025, Samir Syriani, 17'
Samir and Nadyn, a Lebanese couple, spend a sleepless night anxious and fearing an Israeli airstrike could shatter the glass walls of their home. With their children peacefully asleep, they battle with whether to flee or risk the worst and stay.
Upshot
Palestine/France/Italy, 2024, Maha Haj, 34'
After suffering unimaginable loss, Suleiman and Lubna retreat to an isolated farm, where they tend to their crops and engage in impassioned debates about their five children's choices - until one day a stranger arrives to reveal a harrowing truth.
This screening is followed by a guided discussion. Hekayyatna Asks: How Can We Bear Witness?
Join Hekayyatna for a post-screening discussion on how we can bear witness—as viewers, artists, and communities in solidarity. The session invites shared reflection on storytelling, memory, and responsibility.
Hekayyatna is an organisation all about community and storytelling. They host events in London and beyond, where each gathering unpacks a big question through stories and activities. Part workshop, part salon, part conversation. At every Hekayyatna event, get ready to learn something new, meet someone new, and try something new.