Grassroots festivals and film activism : Palestine Film Festivals in the UK

Ghorbankarimi, Maryam and Friedman, Yael (2025) Grassroots festivals and film activism : Palestine Film Festivals in the UK. NECSUS: European Journal of Media Studies (Autumn). ISSN 2213-0217 (In Press)

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Abstract

This article examines three grassroots Palestine-themed film festivals in the United Kingdom: the London Palestine Film Festival, the Bristol Palestine Film Festival, and the Leeds Palestinian Film Festival. It considers their evolving roles as sites of cultural expression and soft political activism. Drawing on recent fieldwork and interviews, it explores how these volunteer-led, community-driven festivals navigate curatorial strategies, institutional constraints, and audience engagement in the context of the ongoing war in Gaza. The 2024 editions, held amid heightened political tension and media scrutiny, reveal the festivals’ resilience and adaptability. While the London festival positions itself within a cosmopolitan film culture, foregrounding artistic and experimental cinema, the Bristol and Leeds festivals adopt more overt advocacy-driven approaches that emphasise accessibility and community outreach. Across all three, a growing focus on ‘beyond the film’ events, including concerts, theatre, food tastings, and participatory workshops, signals a shift towards embodied and experiential forms of engagement. These practices expand the meaning of activism in festival contexts, generating affective infrastructures of solidarity and belonging. The article argues that such grassroots curatorial work sustains Palestinian cinematic visibility in the UK and prompts reflection on the intersections of culture, activism, and spectatorship in times of crisis.