Nazra Palestine Short Film Festival tours Italy, screening films that counter colonial narratives
From October 9 to 30, 2025, the Nazra Palestine Short Film Festival, which translates to 'gaze' in Arabic, traveled to more than 40 cities across Italy. The festival highlighted films that confront colonial narratives and aim to restore the dignity of Palestinians amidst ongoing genocide. Notable entries included 'The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing' by Theo Panagopoulos, showcasing the erased Palestinian presence in the 1930s. Rehab Nazzal's 'Vibrations From Gaza' focuses on hearing impairments in children caused by drones. 'Faces Under Fire' by Rajaa Khaled Ayesh features a clown bringing joy to children in devastated areas. Sohail Dahdal's 'Fiction' follows a Bedouin boy on a quest for memories, while Hossam Hamdi Abu Dan's 'Emptiness' recounts the ages of a family lost under rubble. Activist Omar Suleiman stressed the importance of memory over victimhood.
Key facts
- Nazra Palestine Short Film Festival toured over 40 Italian cities from October 9 to 30, 2025.
- Theo Panagopoulos' documentary 'The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing' re-edits 1930s missionary footage to highlight erased Palestinian presence.
- Rehab Nazzal's 'Vibrations From Gaza' uses muted sound to depict hearing loss in Gaza children from military drones.
- 'Faces Under Fire' by Rajaa Khaled Ayesh won France's CinéPalestine prize.
- Sohail Dahdal's 'Fiction' features a Bedouin boy and his goat trying to save a village from demolition.
- Hossam Hamdi Abu Dan's 'Emptiness' was shot in Gaza ruins in 2024.
- Omar Suleiman spoke at the Benevento stop about Palestinian cultural resistance.
- The festival aims to decolonize narratives and counter cultural erasure.
Entities
Artists
- Theo Panagopoulos
- Rehab Nazzal
- Rajaa Khaled Ayesh
- Sohail Dahdal
- Hossam Hamdi Abu Dan
- Omar Suleiman
- Michael Moore
Institutions
- Nazra Palestine Short Film Festival
- CinéPalestine
- Artribune
Locations
- Italy
- Benevento
- Gaza
- Palestine
- France