In the summer of 1982, during Israel’s invasion of Beirut, the Israeli army raided the Palestinian Research Centre, looting its entire archive, which contained invaluable documents and visual materials of Palestinian history. The erasure of Palestinian material culture is a more obscured front on Israel’s dispossession of Palestinian peoples, continuing with the recent destruction of archives, libraries, and museums in Gaza. These acts are deliberate violations of Palestinian sovereignty, making it harder for future generations to reclaim their histories.

Through a blend of documentary and experimental filmmaking, A FIDAI FILM reclaims and confronts the looted images now held in Israeli archives, offering a counter-narrative to this erasure. Kamal Aljafari’s cinematic sabotage is an act of resistance against the destruction of Palestinian cultural memory, connecting past and present efforts to obliterate Palestinian heritage. Through this archival lens, the film emphasizes the urgent need to preserve and reclaim Palestinian history amid ongoing occupation and displacement.

Short film UPSHOT to play before feature.
Suleiman and Lubna, a retired couple, lead a quiet life on their remote farm—he works the fields, she manages the home. Their playful debates about their children highlight their close connection. But when a journalist shows up with questions about Suleiman’s past, their tranquillity is shattered.

Arabic and Hebrew language, English subtitles.