New Sheffield Hallam Film Studies Course Explores Palestinian Cinema

Over the last 25 years, Sheffield Hallam University and Showroom Cinema have collaborated on a series of public Film Studies series, providing a themed course of films and lectures led by an academic expert. Looking back over the years, the evening classes have explored a diverse range of themes including genres from Political Horror and Gangster films to Animation and British Social Realism, as well as auteur studies of filmmakers from Alfred Hitchcock to Kelly Reichardt.

Another recurrent area of focus has been national cinemas and movements; the French New Wave, Czech and Hungarian Cinema, and images of Ireland and the Irish have featured over the last two decades. Outside of Europe, focused seasons on Australian, Korean, and most recently, Iranian national cinema studies have proven popular and led cinemagoers through the geographical, political, and social histories and contexts that have informed filmmaking around the world.

Starting on 22 January, tutors Professor Anandi Ramamurthy and Mahassen Nasser Elgin will lead ‘Exploring Palestinian Cinema’, a new course exploring both contemporary and historical filmmaking practices to highlight the diverse genres and styles that Palestinians have adopted to tell their stories.

Film critics have reflected that there is no Palestinian film industry, and that there are only Palestinian films, given the lack of infrastructure in the national context. Despite these difficulties, the increasing range and quality of films produced make the study of Palestinian Cinema stimulating for cinema buffs and those interested in the politics of the region.

By exploring the shift in filmmaking practices and narrative priorities resulting from changing political and social climates, the course will highlight how Palestinian films need to be understood in both aesthetic and historical/political contexts.

Through a series of lectures exploring the history and filmmaking across the 20th century including the Palestinian revolution and Oslo Accords, right up to the modern day, the course will provide a deeper understanding of the 21st century films being screened including Bye Bye Tiberias, Habibi and A House in Jerusalem.

Cinema has always been an invaluable tool for the expression and reflection of contemporary politics and the stories of the ordinary people and artists living through conflict, and provides an empathetic exploration of humanity beyond the headlines.

‘Exploring Palestinian Cinema’ starts on 22 January for eight weeks. Season passes and tickets for individual screenings and lectures are now on sale at: /filmstudiespalestine