Palestinian Cinema in 2025: A Year of Resistance and Recognition

In 2025, Palestinian cinema achieved unprecedented global recognition, with multiple films winning top awards at major festivals. Cherien Dabis's 'All That's Left of You' won the Audience Award in Thessaloniki and Best Director in Seville. Tarzan and Arab Nasser's 'Once Upon A Time In Gaza' won Best Director in Un Certain Regard at Cannes. Annemarie Jacir's 'Palestine 36' won Best Film at the Tokyo Film Festival. Kaouther Ben Hania's 'The Voice of Hind Rajab' won the Grand Jury Prize and Golden Lion at Venice and was nominated for an Oscar. Documentary 'Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk' by Sepideh Farsi follows a young Palestinian woman in Gaza via video calls. Kamal Aljafari's 'With Hasan in Gaza' won Grand Prize at DMZ IDFF and Europa Cinemas Label at Locarno. Tawfeek Barhom's short 'I'm Glad You're Dead Now' won the Palme d'Or for Best Short Film at Cannes. Other notable works include Diana Allan's 'Partition', Theo Panagopoulos's 'The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing', and shorts by Nada Khalifa, Mahmoud Alhaj, and Said Zagha.