Filmg Talk
From Ground Zero. The Untold Stories from Gaza
Sunday, 1.2.2026 at 5pm @ Pilkentafel, Flensburg
A short film collection of 22 films from Gaza will be screened by students from Flensburg on February 1st at the Pilkentafel cinema in cooperation with filmkorte e.V. Admission is free.
Amidst rubble and tent cities, the sea and the sky, 22 filmmakers from Gaza tell stories of their daily lives amidst the systematic and targeted killing and displacement of Palestinians. Filmed between December 2023 and March 2024, the three- to six-minute films capture individual perspectives on the reality in Gaza. Ranging from documentary and feature films to animation and experimental forms, the films bring to the screen stories of grief, the will to survive, joy, and hope that often remain untold. The FROM GROUND ZERO collection was initiated by Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, from which we already screened a film at St. Marien Church during the 2025 Short Film Festival. This event is organized by students of the European University Viadrina and Flensburg University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with filmkorte e.V.
Following the film, there will be a moderated discussion with Irit Neidhardt and Rahaf Shamaly.
Irit Neidhardt is a film publicist and runs mec film, a global distributor for films by Arab directors, whose catalog includes From Ground Zero.
Rahaf Shamaly is a singer with the Sol Band from Gaza and appears with her band in the film No (directed by Hana Awad), which is part of the collection.
Talk
En équilibre instable
24.1.2026, 14:15h, Palace, Solothurn, in the framework of the Rencontres at the Solothurn Filmdays (Switzerland)
"Venues d'ailleurs”: In the 1980s, the Parisian radio station “Radio Beur,” together with the women's organization “Les Yeux Ouverts”, pioneered a new approach. The program “Beur et féminin” gave a voice to young women of Arab and sub-Saharan descent. They challenged the authority of their husbands, spoke openly about their relationships, and what they perceived as a familial dictatorship. Within this construct, their own mothers sometimes played a dubious role, perpetuating the oppression they themselves had experienced at the expense of their daughters. The film—a remarkable historical document—was directed by Edna Politi for the French Department of Education.
“Venues d'ailleurs” will be screened as an integral part of a combined film and discussion program. This event, titled “En équilibre instable” (In Unstable Balance), offers the audience an opportunity to gain deeper insights into Edna Politi, the guest of honor at the 61st Solothurn Film Festival. The discussion will be moderated by film curator and specialist in Arabic cinema, Irit Neidhardt (Berlin). Simultaneous translation into French and German. (Discussion approx. 60', film 26'; total duration approx. 90')