“Queer Palestine on Screen – 8 Views of Resistance”

Film directed by Robin Riad, Seza Tiyara Selen & Jannis Osterburg, Dima Hamdan, Tara Hakim & Hannah Hull, Raghed Charabaty, Dana Dawud, Teyama Al Kamli, Omar Gabriel, CA/DE/LB/PS, 2023 – 2025, 85 min, Arabic/English + English subtitles

How can film convey the voice of the oppressed? How does the struggle for queer rights intersect with the struggle against colonialism and genocide? And what does it mean to stand on the side of justice, even when it is inconvenient?

This event is part of Queer Cinema for Palestine’s (QCP) international film initiative, which was created as an act of solidarity with all those who oppose pinkwashing – a strategy by which the State of Israel seeks to cover up its involvement in the occupation and human rights violations against Palestinians by presenting itself as a “leader in LGBTI+ rights”. The QCP follows a call by the Palestinian Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment (BDS) movement, which asks cultural institutions and individuals not to participate in state-sponsored Israeli events such as TLVFest – the Tel Aviv International LGBTQ Film Festival. A number of queer filmmakers and filmmakers around the world have refused to collaborate with TLVFest and have instead created their own platform to promote Palestinian culture of resistance: Queer Cinema for Palestine.

In 2025, QCP is being held under the slogan “No Pride in Genocide” – as a clear statement that LGBTI+ pride cannot coexist with silence on the Gaza genocide. In the context of the systematic dehumanisation and violent erasure of the Palestinian people, including queer Palestinians, it is imperative to ask: Who has the right to be seen? Who can tell their story? And whose images are constantly censored, superimposed or ignored?

This series of 8 short films presents a variety of perspectives and artistic approaches – from documentary accounts to experimental, poetic and explicitly political works. It is an international collection that reflects the queer Palestinian experience as one of physicality, longing, perseverance, but also loss, uprooting and constant threat. The films were made in exile, in the Occupied Territories and in the diaspora – and all are united by the desire to resist erasure.

“Queer Palestine on Screen – 8 Views of Resistance” is not just a cinematic experience. It is a gesture of solidarity. It is a call for us, as viewers and spectators, to rethink our comfort zones, to broaden our optics and to listen to voices that are often systematically silenced. The event also aspires to be a space to discuss how LGBTI+ rights are inseparable from the broader struggle for social and global justice.

Entry is free – however, a voluntary donation of €5 is suggested, part of which will be donated to the filmmakers and part of which will be used to pay for production and organisation fees.

The event is open to all – regardless of identity, background or beliefs – who believe that art can be an instrument of change.

PROGRAMME

1. Abgad Hawaz
Robin Riad, 1 min, Canada (2024)
Audio: Arabic, English | Subtitles: without subtitles
An analogue film about Arabic writing in which a projector “reads” hand-drawn letters to create sound. A playful response to digital hatred of Arabs.

2. Out of Gaza
Seza Tiyara Selen & Jannis Osterburg, 9 min, Germany (2025)
Audio: German, Arabic | Subtitles: English
A Palestinian engineer plans her escape from Gaza, but an unexpected world awaits her behind the wall. A stop-motion story about freedom, doubt and escape.

3. Blood Like Water
Dima Hamdan, 14 min, Palestine (2023)
Audio: Arabic | Subtitles: English
Shadi drags a family into a dilemma: collaborate with the occupation or face public shame. Inspired by true stories.

4. a tangled web drowning in honey
Tara Hakim & Hannah Hull, 9 min, Canada (2023)
Audio: English | Subtitles: English
A visual meditation on self-love and self-doubt. A poetic penetration into the inner world.

5. Aliens in Beirut
Raghed Charabaty, 16 min, Lebanon/Canada (2025)
Audio: Arabic, English | Subtitles: English
Fiction and documentary intertwine in a story of a return to Beirut before the explosion in 2020. A longing for home, a longing for someone.

6. Palcorecore
Dana Dawud, 8 min, internet footage from Palestine (2023)
Audio: Arabic, English | Subtitles: English
A collage of internet, archive, dance and resistance. A rhythmic ode to the everyday life of Palestinians, especially the young and women.

7. I never promised you a Jasmine Garden
Teyama AlKamli, 20 min, Canada (2023)
Audio: Arabic, English | Subtitles: English
Tara, a queer Palestinian, hides her feelings during a phone call with her best friend, whom she secretly loves. A tender story of longing and vulnerability.

8. Don’t take my joy away
Omar Gabriel, 7 min, Lebanon (2024)
Audio: Arabic | Subtitles: English
In the Shatila refugee camp, two friends enjoy moments of joy until violence strikes. Escape, decision and resistance.

Supported from public funds by the Bratislava City Foundation and the Municipality of Bratislava-Staré Mesto. The digitisation of Kino inak was financially supported by the Slovak Audiovisual Fund.