Past Screenings and Events 2019-2020

and on April 17th Palestinian Political Prisoners Day join us for this special Gala presentation of

3000 Nights - Postponed due to Corona Virus - new date to be annouced

Directed and written by: Mai Masri. Palestine, France, Jordan, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, 2015 Arabic, Hebrew 103 minutes

Cover for A Stone's Throw Away

Mai Masri makes her feature debut with the powerful and deeply political 3000 Nights. In Nablus, West Bank in 1980, a young schoolteacher is arrested in the middle of the night and accused of being an accomplice in an attack on a settler, as she had by chance given a ride to the actual perpetrator, a young boy. Sentenced to eight years, she enters prison determined to survive, both for herself and, as she soon finds out, her unborn child. Based on interviews with real-life prisoners, Masri's script sheds light on the plight of thousands of Palestinians who have been wrongly convicted.

Friday, April 17th, 2020 7:00 p.m.
(Box office opens at 6 p.m.)
Admission: $10 advance, $15 at door.
Purchase advance tickets online, or order with interact info(at)hvopfs.ca.
Location: Staircase Theatre (To be confirmed post virus)
27 Dundurn St. North Hamilton, ON L8R 3C9


photo of Rafeef performing

RAFEEF ZIADAH Postponed due to Corona Virus - new date to be annouced

It is with regret that we are postponing our April 7th event "Rafeef Ziadah Live" due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The safety and well-being of our audience, artists, volunteers and community are paramount to the Hamilton Voices of Palestine Film Series. We share your disappointment with the delay of this amazing performance but we all have a part to play to address this unprecedented situation. Stay tuned for Rafeef's rescheduled return to Hamilton with her much-anticipated third album "Three Generations".

Stay tuned. Please send an email to info(at)hvopfs.ca to receive updates.

Special presentation in March

5 Broken Cameras - Cancelled due to Corona Virus

Directed by: Directed by Guy Davidi and Emad Burnat. 2012 | Documentary | 90 min.

Photo: Poster for 5 Broken Cameras

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE - BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE An extraordinary work of both cinematic and political activism, 5 Broken Cameras is a deeply personal, first-hand account of non-violent resistance in Bil'in, a West Bank village threatened by encroaching Israeli settlements. Shot almost entirely by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat, who bought his first camera in 2005 to record the birth of his youngest son, the footage was later turned into a galvanizing cinematic experience by co-directors Guy Davidi and Burnat. Structured around the violent destruction of a succession of Burnat's video cameras, the filmmakers' collaboration follows one family's evolution over five years of village turmoil. Burnat watches from behind the lens as olive trees are bulldozed, protests intensify, and lives are lost. "I feel like the camera protects me," he says, "but it's an illusion."

This film screening is part of Israeli Apartheid Week at McMaster.

Tuesday, March 17th, 2020 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Admission: Free

Location: TSH B106, McMaster University, Hamilton


and continuing in March

Imprisoning a Generation

Directed by: Zelda Edmunds. 2018 | Documentary | 51 min.

Photo: Poster for Imprisoning a Generation

Imprisoning a Generation is a documentary film following the stories of four young Palestinians who have been detained and imprisoned under the Israeli military and political systems. Their perspectives, along with the voices of their families, form a lens into the entangled structures of oppression that expand well beyond the prison walls.

In addition to addressing the ways in which Palestinian children are targeted through detainment and imprisonment, the film goes on to address:

- The Nakba and ongoing displacement of Palestinians through Motaz’s story;
- Israeli settler and soldier violence through;
- Marwan’s story The Apartheid wall, checkpoints and barriers through;
- Nooran’s story And the Israeli system of Identification Cards through Shadi’s story

This film screening is co-sponsored by New Vision United Church and co-presented by Independent Jewish Voices, Hamilton.

Tuesday, March 10th, 2020 7:00 p.m.
Admission: Donations can be made to Mission and Service Fund and will be designated to partners in Palestine Israel
Location: New Vision United Church Lower Hall
24 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8P 1H2


 

Added for February

Wanted 18

Directed by: Amer Shomali, Paul Cowan. 2014 | Documentary/Animation | 75 min.

Photo: Poster for Wanted 18

An NFB film.

Discover the animated true story of a group of Israeli cows transported to Palestine during the First Intifada in the West Bank. The cows at the centre of this multimedia interactive app were purchased by a group of Palestinian activists in 1987 with the goal of creating a self-sufficient supply of milk for their community.

Our bovine protagonists now come to life in dynamic comic book style as multi-faceted, diverse characters in The Wanted 18. Each cow exhibits a distinct personality and perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, granting viewers an alternately poignant, thought-provoking, humorous, and inspiring profile of grassroots activism and peaceful resistance in a part of the world that is fraught with negative imagery and despair.

Critic reviews

Highlighting the ridiculous without losing track of the seriousness of all acts of resistance, the film should open minds. Full review

Jay Weissberg, Variety

At its best, “The Wanted 18” follows a worthy tradition of highlighting absurdities that arise during conflict. Full review

Ken Jaworowski, The NYTimes

Friday, February 28, 2020 8:00 p.m. after lsha prayer
Admission: Free.
Location: Mountain Mosque 1545 Stone Church Rd. E, Hamilton, ON


and continuing in February with

The Apollo of Gaza

Directed by: Nicolas Wadimoff

An NFB film

Cover for A Stone's Throw AwayIn 2013, an ancient statue of Apollo was found in the waters off Gaza—before disappearing under mysterious circumstances. Is it the work of forgers, or a gift from the gods to a Palestinian people desperately in need of hope? Soon the rumours start to swirl, while behind the scenes local and international players start jostling—some driven by historical preservation and others by purely commercial interests. Filmed in Gaza and Jerusalem, The Apollo of Gaza plays out like a mystery built around a national treasure that is the stuff of dreams. The Apollo of Gaza is an engaging reflection on the passage of time and the fragility of civilizations, as well as a poetic and philosophical meditation that immerses us in the often-misunderstood realities of life in a place that continues to pay a heavy price for the seemingly endless Israeli-Palestinian conflict—a place where life doggedly carries on, resisting. Like a meteor streaking across the sky, the statue of Apollo brings a moment of light and beauty to Gaza. Can it help restore dignity to a people, revealing a glorious history and fostering pride in a nation often misrepresented and demeaned?

This film screening is co-presented by Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War

Sponsored by Beit Zatoun

Tuesday, February 11th, 2020 7:00 p.m.
Admission: Donations to Hamilton Voices of Palestine Film Series gratefully accepted. Donate at the screening or online.

Location: New Vision United Church Lower Hall
24 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8P 1H2


and continuing in January with

'Born in Gaza' ('Nacido en Gaza')

Directed by: Hernán Zin

A Hernán Zin film

Born in Gaza poster. Boys running up on a street in GazaBORN IN GAZA follows ten children telling their daily life under the bombs during the Israeli offensive that devastated the Gaza Strip in July and August 2014.

Among them, we find Udai, who lost his house in a bombing, or Malak, a refugee in a UN school. Sondos is in the hospital with serious injuries in her abdomen and Mohamed has no option but collecting garbage to make a living.

The awarded director Hernán Zin shows a deep and intimate vision about how violence twists these children's lives, putting aside any political debate or last-minute event. A deeply human vision of the war and its consequences with an original aesthetic look.

Slow motion and time-lapse, as well as drone and underwater shooting, make cinematography one of the essentials of Born In Gaza. A war was barely ever shot so beautifully and disturbing at the same time.

BORN IN GAZA comes to an end three months after the Israeli offensive, with us returning to check up on these children dealing with the terror and trying to have their lives back to normal.

They speak up for the 538 dead children and over 3,500 wounded left by the so called 'Operation Protective Edge' Israeli offensive.

The film has also been produced by the Spanish singer Bebe, a Grammy and Spanish Academy Award winner, Olmo Figueredo and the journalist Jon Sistiaga.

BORN IN GAZA was released on December 12, 2014 in over 30 movie theaters across Spain.

It has been nominated for best documentary at the Spanish Academy Awards 2015.

This film screening is co-presented by SPHR, McMaster

Tuesday, January 21th, 2020 6:30 p.m.

Location: Togo Salmon Hall (TSH) B106, McMaster University


An encoure presentation of Abby Martin's

Gaza Fights for Freedom

Gaza Fights for Freedom PosterThis debut feature film by journalist Abby Martin began while reporting in Palestine, where she was denied entry into Gaza by the Israeli government on the accusation she was a “propagandist.” So Abby connected with a team of journalists in Gaza to produce the film through the blockade.

This collaboration shows you Gaza’s protest movement like you’ve never seen before. Filmed during the height of the Great March Of Return protests, it features exclusive footage of demonstrations where 200 unarmed civilians have been killed by Israeli snipers since March 30, 2018.

The documentary tells the story of Gaza past and present, showing rare archival footage that explains the history never acknowledged by mass media. Victims are heard from the ongoing massacre, including journalists, medics and the family of internationally-acclaimed paramedic, Razan al-Najjar.

At its core, ‘Gaza Fights For Freedom’ is a thorough indictment of the Israeli military for war crimes, with legal documentation and photographic evidence.

 Further information: contact info@hvopfs.ca or contactus@hamiltonmosque.com

on Friday January 24th, 2020 @ 8:00 pm following Isha prayer

Location: Hamilton Mountain Mosque
1545 Stone Church Road East


and continuing in December with

Tomorrow's Power

Directed by: Amy Miller

An Indiecan Entertainment and Diffusion Multi-Monde film

Poster of Tomorrow's Power. People in Sunset with WindmillsTomorrow’s Power is a feature length documentary that showcases three communities around the world and their responses to economic and environmental emergencies they are facing. In the war-torn, oil-rich Arauca province in Colombia, communities have been building a peace process from the bottom up. In Germany activists are pushing the country to fully divest from fossil-fuel extraction and complete its transition to renewable energy. In Gaza health practitioners are harnessing solar power to battle daily life-threatening energy blackouts in hospitals.

This film screening is co-presented by Hamilton 350, and

sponsored by The Nook Cafe.

Tuesday, December 10th, 2019 7:00 p.m.

Admission: Donations to Hamilton Voices of Palestine Film Series gratefully accepted. Donate at the screening or online.
Location: New Vision United Church Lower Hall
24 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8P 1H2


in November

Wall

Grapic of Man Standing Look up a the Apartheid WallDirected by: Cam Christiansen
An NFB film
Wall is a feature-length animated film written by and starring playwright and two-time Academy Award® nominee for screenwriting (The Hours, The Reader) David Hare, whom The Washington Post referred to as “the premiere political dramatist writing in English.” Hare’s body of work spans 35 years and deftly explores socio-political issues at home and abroad. The 80-minute film follows Hare on a trip to the Middle East to examine the impact the wall separating Israel and Palestine has had on the people of the region.
This screening is co-presented by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, Hamilton
Tuesday, November 12th, 2019 7:00 p.m.
Admission: Donations to Hamilton Voices of Palestine Film Series gratefully accepted. Donate at the screening or online.
Location: New Vision United Church Lower Hall
24 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8P 1H2

 


In October

Gaza Fights for Freedom

http://jelithin.ca/images/gaza-fights-for-freedom.jpgDirected by: Abby Martin
An Empire Files Film
This debut feature film by journalist Abby Martin began while reporting in Palestine, where she was denied entry into Gaza by the Israeli government on the accusation she was a “propagandist.” So Abby connected with a team of journalists in Gaza to produce the film through the blockade.
At its core, ‘Gaza Fights For Freedom’ is a thorough indictment of the Israeli military for war crimes, with legal documentation and photographic evidence.
This film screening is co-presented by the Jewish Liberation Theology Institute and sponsored by The West Lounge Cafe

Tuesday, October 8th, 2019 7:00 p.m.
Admission: Donations to Hamilton Voices of Palestine Film Series gratefully accepted. Donate at the screening or online.
Location: New Vision United Church Lower Hall
24 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8P 1H2

Underwriters, Endorsers, Sponsors, Partners and Community Friends:

Beit Zatoun; Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, Hamilton; Hamilton 350; Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War; Jewish Liberation Theology Institute; Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) - Hamilton; The Nook Cafe; Palestinian Association of Hamilton; Solidarity for Palestinian Human RightS (SPRH), McMaster; The West Lounge Cafe