Brief:
As the current conflict in the Middle East rages on, this one-day event looks to use film and poetry as a vehicle to think about the humanity of all those impacted by these tragic events. It aims to show solidarity with the Palestinian people while recognising Israel as a historical reality whose challenge is to confront its own conflicted history. Historical realities being what they are, these two peoples are inevitably (and inextricably) intertwined. The security and future of each is dependent on ‘the Other’. Alliances of Understanding: A Day of Palestinian Cinema and Poetry is organised around three interrelated themes: Leela Gandhi’s concept of affective communities; Palestinian cinema as a cinema of resistance; and culture in conflict.
– Gandhi proposes that groups can form bonds based on shared emotions, experiences, and affinities rather than solely on shared identities. When applied to Palestinian cinema and poetry, it elucidates how these texts foster a sense of belonging and solidarity among viewers and readers by evoking emotions and connecting them to the experiences of resistance against oppression and occupation.
– Palestinian cinema, often considered a cinema of resistance, serves as a powerful tool to depict the struggle for self-determination, human rights, and national identity. It creates affective communities by invoking emotions of empathy, solidarity, and shared experiences among its audience, transcending geographical and cultural boundaries. Through storytelling and visual narratives, Palestinian cinema galvanises support, fosters understanding, and amplifies the collective voice against the injustices faced by Palestinians.
– The theme of ‘culture in conflict’ within the context of Palestinian cinema and poetry encapsulates the tension between preserving cultural heritage and expressing resistance in the face of political and social adversity. Films and poetic texts showcase how culture becomes a site of both struggle and resilience, where the preservation of Palestinian identity and heritage serves as an act of defiance against attempts to erase or marginalise it.
In essence, this event seeks to converge these three themes to underscore the idea that cultural expressions in the form of cinema and poetry forge emotional connections, build solidarity, and assert resilience in the face of oppression and conflict and histories that haunt all futures.
Alliances of Understanding 