We’re introducing Night Mode … Try it out with the sun/moon icon at the top left. Or change font settings with the ‘A’ to make the site work for you.
Got it
ICA is closed from the 30 May – 3 June inclusive.
0 / 256
Ours is a Country of Words + The Last Days of April
Institute of Contemporary Arts
Films
The Last Days of April, dirs. Laurence Buelens & Jean Forest, Belgium 2021, 24 min., Arabic with English subtitles

London Palestine Film Festival 2021

‘Living under occupation forces us to think differently. You have to learn to live with it.’

Two documentaries that focus on the powerful roles played by imagination and belief in resistance.
Programme 

The Last Days of April
dirs. Laurence Buelens & Jean Forest, Belgium 2021, 24 min., Arabic with English subtitles
In April 1949, after a string of battles and massacres, the Israeli army reaches the gates of the 5,000-year-old Palestinian village of Battir, on the outskirts of Jerusalem – and a handful of villagers use candles, sticks and other forms of trickery to protect their homes from the fate of their neighbours. Based on the testimonials of village elders, Laurence Buelens and Jean Forest’s short documentary mixes video, animated stills and an ambient soundscape to pay tribute to their ingenious resistance.

Ours Is a Country of Words
dir. Mathijs Poppe, Belgium 2017, 43 min., Arabic with English subtitles
Mathijs Poppe’s film begins at an undetermined moment in the future when the Palestinian right of return becomes a reality, and families in the Shatila refugee camp begin to prepare for their return. What should they pack – and who will they miss? Blending fiction and documentary, dreams and reality, Ours Is a Country of Words allows us to develop a deeper understanding of what it means to live in exile. 

This session will be followed by a conversation with Mathijs Poppe, director of Ours is a Country of Words and Andrea Luka Zimmerman, Jarman Award-winning documentary maker. Hanan Hindawi, a member of the cast, will also be present for this in-person event.
 
Ticket information
  • All tickets that do not require ID (full price, disabled, income support) can be printed at home or stored in email
  • For aged-based concession tickets (under 25, student and pensioner) please bring relevant ID to collect at the front desk before the event.
Red Members gain unlimited FREE access to all exhibitions, films, talks, concerts and performances. Join today for £20/month

All films are ad-free and 18+ unless otherwise stated, and start with a 10 min. curated selection of trailers.

Members+ and all Patrons gain free entry to all cinema screenings, exhibitions, talks, and more.
Join today as a Member+ for £25/month.