Palestinian Cinema: 6 Films Every Supporter Should Watch

Some of the most powerful accounts of Palestinian life have come not from news reports but from cinema. Palestinian directors have built an internationally respected body of work, winning prizes at Cannes, Berlin and the Academy Awards, and giving audiences a view of occupation, exile and everyday resilience that headlines rarely capture.

If you want to understand Palestine beyond the news, these six films are a good place to start. Most are available to stream or rent in the UK.

No Other Land (2024)

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Made by a Palestinian and Israeli collective including Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham, this documentary follows the demolition of villages in Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2025.

Omar (2013) and Paradise Now (2005)

Both directed by Hany Abu-Assad and both nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, these dramas explore the impossible choices young Palestinians face under occupation. Paradise Now also won a Golden Globe.

5 Broken Cameras (2011)

Farmer Emad Burnat filmed five years of weekly protests in his village of Bil'in, losing a camera each time it was destroyed. Co-directed with Guy Davidi, it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary.

Wajib (2017) and Farha (2021)

Annemarie Jacir's Wajib is a gentle, funny portrait of a father and son delivering wedding invitations in Nazareth. Darin J. Sallam's Farha tells the story of a girl hiding during the Nakba of 1948 and drew worldwide attention when it launched on streaming.

Watching together and talking about what you have seen is one of the simplest ways to keep Palestinian stories alive. For more on the culture behind the films, read our guide to Palestinian symbols.