Palestine Film Institute to present three documentaries at Sheffield DocFest
The Palestine Film Institute (PFI) is set to present three feature-length documentaries in progress as part of the Palestine Showcase at this year's Sheffield DocFest. Organised in collaboration with Sheffield DocFest, the British Council and Switzerland's AKKA Films, the special screening will take place on June 21 at the Montgomery Theatre in Sheffield, exclusively for DocFest delegates.
This initiative underscores PFI's ongoing commitment to preserving and amplifying Palestinian narratives through international platforms. By offering filmmakers and producers a stage to present their works-in-progress, the showcase aims to connect them with key figures in the film industry, including festival programmers and decision-makers, and to foster engagement with the broader global cinema community.
The three selected projects each reflect distinct aspects of the Palestinian experience, blending powerful storytelling with creative cinematic approaches. Theft of Fire, directed by Amer Shomali and produced by Rashid Abdelhamid, Ina Fichman, and Remi Grellety, is a genre-bending documentary that imagines an art heist to reclaim stolen Palestinian antiquities. White Resistance: Letters to the Living, directed by Mahmoud Atassi and produced by Abdulrahman Alkilany, draws from harrowing footage captured inside Gaza's Kamal Edwan hospital and follows the legal efforts to secure the release of its detained director, Hussam AbuSafiya. Meanwhile, Reclaiming Time, directed and produced by Fuad Hindieh, takes a surreal and visually rich look at a filmmaker's quest to legally change his birthdate—an act that transforms into a symbolic journey to reclaim time lost to occupation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
a day ago
- Middle East Eye
'Word soup': U2 statement on Gaza dismissed as ‘billionaire pacifism'
The massively popular Irish band U2's lengthy statement on Israel's war on Gaza on Sunday has triggered widespread backlash on social media and has been dubbed 'billionaire pacifism'. In the statement, all four members of the band shared their individual views on Gaza, touching upon an array of issues such as Israel's starvation of Gaza, the blocking of humanitarian aid and the potential military takeover of the enclave by Israel. The band's statement starts with the phrase, 'We are not experts in the politics of the region, but we want our audience to know where we each stand.' Lead singer Bono's (Paul David Hewson) own statement spans from 'The rape, murder, and abduction of Israelis at the Nova music festival was evil' to 'I also understood that Hamas are not the Palestinian people.' Bono's statement repeats Israel's often-repeated "right to self-defence justification and echoes the same debunked claims Israel makes about Hamas using civilians as human shields. He also added that 'Benjamin Netanyahu today deserves our categorical and unequivocal condemnation', which many on social media have criticised as 'word soup'. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters U2's Gaza statement is billionaire pacifism, weeping into your champagne as you cash cheques from a genocide. Your 'moral clarity' stops where your wallet begins. Bono et al…until you ditch Live Nation and denounce your donors, you're just laundering blood money through a… — Mark Jones (@markjonescp) August 11, 2025 Others criticised U2's statement for their opening claim that they are not 'experts in the politics in the region', though they made public statements about Ukraine and the Ukrainian people 'for all of us who love freedom', two months into Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Two years after a genocide in Gaza: 'We are not experts in the politics of the region' But two months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine 👇🏽 — Osita Mba (@DrOsitaMba) August 11, 2025 U2's statement came on the same day Israel killed prominent Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh in a drone strike on a press tent near al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. The strike also took the lives of Al Jazeera staff Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa, as well as freelance journalist Mohammed al-Khalidi. After Bono's statement, perhaps the one that received the most backlash was the statement by Larry Mullen Jr, the drummer of the band. He said that after the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel, Israel's response was expected. "After those attacks, the total obliteration of Hamas was called for by Israel and its allies and was expected." Many on social media expressed outrage at these words, hinting that Israel's war on Gaza started well before 7 October 2023. Larry you say what did Hamas expect? Well what did Isreal expect to happen after a blockade on Gaza since 2007? Where Isreal controls all land borders, the sky and the sea. Has bombed Gaza multiple times and murdered thousands since 2007 and Suffocates the life in Gaza! — lu (@slammesh) August 10, 2025 Some on social media, uninterested in Mullen's statement on Gaza in general, expressed their confusion as to why he felt he had to share his thoughts on this issue. This was a general sentiment towards the entirety of the statement by many social media users, saying that the band, specifically Bono, was a "fraud" and has no issue staying 'out of politics when it suits him'. I could not give an absolute fuck what U2 have to say about Gaza. Those shills have been dripping in Israeli blood money since day dot. Bono can "stay out of politics" when it suits him, while he's filling his pockets. He's a gutless poser and a fraud. — Carlito's Way stan account 🇵🇸 (@Oh_Deer_Diner) August 11, 2025 This is not the first time Bono has come under scrutiny for what critics say is selective humanitarianism, with satirical comedy show South Park taking aim at him in More Crap, the 9th episode of season 11. The Edge (David Howell Evans), lead guitarist of the band, criticised Netanyahu's Likud party for its plan to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza and the occupied West Bank to make way for a 'Greater Israel.' If the end game is this, 'that is not peace-it is dispossession, ethnic cleansing, and, according to many legal scholars, colonial genocide,' he said. Some on social media said that Mullen's statement was the only one openly and directly addressing Israel's assaults on Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, which several countries, as well as many international rights groups and experts, now qualify as an act of genocide. Over 61,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war started in October 2023, most of them women and children. Many also said that even though they grew up listening to the band, they would not follow or listen to their songs anymore, simply because they root for 'war criminals and imperialism'.
Middle East Eye
a day ago
- Middle East Eye
Madonna to Pope Leo: ‘Please say you will go to Gaza'
Madonna has called on Pope Leo to go to Gaza and 'bring your light to the children'. 'Most Holy Father, Please go to Gaza and bring your light to the children before it's too late,' the American singer wrote in an Instagram post on Monday evening. She added that as a mother, she could not bear to watch their suffering. 'The children of the world belong to everyone,' the pop superstar said. 'You are the only one of us who cannot be denied entry.' New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Last month, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the highest-ranking Catholic official in Jerusalem, made a rare visit to Gaza alongside Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem. The visit was made days after an Israeli strike on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City - the last Catholic church in the enclave - killed three Palestinians and wounded several others. Pope Leo's initial response to the attack, which acknowledged the loss of life but did not name Israel as the attacker, drew backlash and comparisons to his predecessor Pope Francis, who was outspoken in his condemnation of Israel's war. He later attributed the attack to the Israeli army. Madonna's plea adds to a chorus of voices urging the pontiff to break the siege on Gaza and lead an urgent mission to the enclave. 'Break the siege': Calls mount for Pope Leo to visit Gaza Read More » The singer called on the 'humanitarian gates to be fully opened' to save children in the Palestinian territory. Israel has imposed a near-total blockade on the entry of food and humanitarian assistance into Gaza since March, leading to widespread starvation and malnutrition. Since late May, the controversial US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has taken control of aid distribution in the enclave. However, it has handed out a small fraction of the aid needed, and at least 1,800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid - most of them near GHF sites, which are heavily militarised. At least 222 Palestinians have died of starvation since the war began, of whom 101 are children, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza. Madonna's run-in with popes Madonna's statement fell well short of criticising Israeli actions in Gaza. 'I am not pointing fingers, placing blame or taking sides. Everyone is suffering. Including the mothers of the hostages. I pray that they are released as well,' she said. 'I am merely trying to do what I can to keep these children from dying of starvation.' She said that politics 'cannot affect change', and that only 'consciousness can', which was why she was reaching out 'to a Man of God'. Madonna was raised as a Roman Catholic, and has often used Catholic imagery in her songs and music videos. Her provocative representations of religious themes - including burning crosses and pole-dancing nuns - have resulted in run-ins with the Catholic church and popes spanning decades. In 1990, Pope John Paul II described The Blond Ambition Tour as 'one of the most satanic shows in the history of humanity'. Her Confessions tour in 2006 was described as a 'blasphemous challenge to the faith and a profanation of the cross' by Cardinal Ersilio Tonini, who was speaking with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI. 'She should be excommunicated,' Tonini said. She sparked controversy last year after posting an AI-generated image of Pope Francis with his hand around her waist. In June, an investigation carried out by the New York Times concluded that Madonna and Pope Leo shared an ancestor six generations ago, making them ninth cousins.
Middle East Eye
6 days ago
- Middle East Eye
Baby Yahya Sinwar: German hospital faces online fury over newborn's name
A maternity ward in Leipzig, eastern Germany, has sparked a firestorm of controversy after posting an Instagram story celebrating a newborn named "Yahya Sinwar", adorned with three heart emojis. The name, identical to the former leader of the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, has ignited a heated online debate, reflecting the deep divisions surrounding Israel's war on Gaza. On 3 August, Leipzig University Hospital published its daily Instagram welcome posts for newborns. Among the names, showcased on a chalkboard, was 'Yahya Sinwar,' written with a heart dotting the 'i', under the word 'Welcome.' The post, intended as a routine celebration of a new birth, quickly gained traction across social media platforms, drawing both condemnation and support. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Yahya Sinwar, the former head of Hamas's political bureau in Gaza who is now deceased, was widely seen as the chief architect of the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that left around 1,200 people dead and more than 250 taken as captives back to Gaza. Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in southern Gaza in October 2024. For many Palestinians, Sinwar is viewed as a symbol of armed resistance against decades of Israeli occupation. The hospital on Monday issued an apology on Instagram, stating that the staff member who posted the image was unaware of the name's political associations. 'We understand that today's post has evoked negative associations in some people. The staff member who posted the image was unaware that the name is currently associated with a well-known political figure in a highly sensitive geopolitical context.' The hospital emphasised that names are published only with parental consent and announced a review of internal procedures to prevent future oversights. What's in a name? German-Israeli rapper and songwriter Ben Salomo amplified the controversy by sharing a screenshot of the hospital's post on Instagram, condemning the inclusion of Sinwar's name. 'Should it be allowed in Germany to name a child after a terrorist and mass murderer?' he wrote on X, prompting a wave of support from pro-Israel social media users. A person responded, writing, 'You've totally lost it, not all your screws are tight! Honestly, it's none of your damn business what parents name their kids. You wannabe artist'. Others questioned the selective outrage, pointing to a perceived double standard. 'If the child had been named Benjamin Netanyahu, no one would have a problem. Nor with the name Donald,' they said, referring to US President Donald Trump, who has staunchly supported Israel's war while dismissing what leading human rights groups and scholars have described as a genocide taking place in the enclave and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. 'A democracy must endure that,' they added. Many pro-Israelis interpreted the inclusion of the name as a tacit endorsement of violence. One social media user declared: 'Yes, they're glorifying the name of a genocidal terrorist.' Another labelled it 'Absolutely unacceptable,' while others described the hospital's post as 'CELEBRATING TERROR.' Naming a kid Yahya Sinwar in Europe amounts to child abuse, denying the child a fair shot at life by associating him with evil terrorism by name. The parents should be prosecuted. — Colin C. Cortbus (@CCCortbus) August 6, 2025 But others pushed back. On Facebook, some called the backlash for the name "pathetic" and defended the parents' choice and their right to call their baby the name they like. 'So, people cannot name their children because somewhere in the world it hurts the feelings of an inbred zionist?' one person wrote. 'What? It's a baby. Don't be a hater.' another added. Lmao How does a name define a person? Ever use the 'dont judge book' quote. U cry so much about anti semitism when semitism doesnt solely relate to Jewish ppl. U think its ok to insinuate a parents joy should be condemned to pre-conceived suspicion based on yr racist theories? — Badi (@badster01) August 7, 2025 Some pointed out that Yahya is a very common name, with religious significance to it - equivalent to John in English, and Johannes in German. 'By the way: The name 'Yahya' is a melodious name with biblical origins and corresponds to the German 'Johannes' in meaning and tradition.' Am 03.08. um 3:34 Uhr wurde der kleine 'Yahya Sinwar' in der Universitätsklinik Leipzig geboren. Übrigens: Der Name 'Yahya' ist ein klangvoller Name mit biblischem Ursprung und entspricht dem deutschen 'Johannes' in Bedeutung und Tradition. ❤️lichen Glückwunsch an die Eltern‼️ — (@MrWiedman) August 5, 2025 "Afraid of everything—watermelons, children, women, own attorney general, processions, even words like 'river' or 'sea.' Always the victim," another person added on Facebook. The name Yahya is a widely used name across the Arab world. Its popularity has grown in Europe in recent years. According to a 2024 report by the UK's Office for National Statistics, "Yahya" climbed 33 places to rank 93rd among boys' names in England and Wales, with 583 newborns receiving the name. The reason behind why the parents chose this name remains unknown, and the parents have given no official information or made a statement regarding the baby's background or origins.
