Walking Tour
Babylon Berlin. Atlas of Arab Film in Early 20th Century Berlin
28 April 2026 at 17:00 until ca. 19:00, Meeting point Hegelplatz (near Bhf Friedrichstr.)
In the program of ALFILM, Arab Film Festival Berlin
At the intersection of Unter den Linden and Friedrichstraße, as well as in the Filmstadt district on the southern end of Friedrichstraße, numerous Arab-German encounters in the film industry took place between the 1910s and 1930s.
The walking tour brings this “tropical Germany” (Zafer Şenocak), a society where “there is a chaotic and unarticulated mass of growth, full of color and life, which effectively precludes any sensation of order” (Elias Canetti), out of obscurity and reveals parallels to the present day.
Duration ca. 2 hours
Meeting point: Hegelplatz at Dorotheenstraße in Berlin-Mitte cose to U-Bahnhof Friedrichstraße, ending at Theodor-Wolff-Park in southern Friedrichstraße close to U-Bahnhof Hallesches Tor. (event in German)
Go to ALFILM
Lecture
Gaza in Context: Politics, Economics, Images
April 26, 2026 at 12:30 pm, Café Palestine, Cologne
The city of Gaza, where Asia, Africa, and Europe meet, is at least 4.000 years old. Located at the end of the Incense Route, one of the oldest known trade routes in the world, it was a prosperous, cosmopolitan port city on the Mediterranean until the 20th century. During the war of 1947/48, the Nakba, the territory subsequently known as the Gaza Strip came under Egyptian control. The hinterland and parts of Gaza City (including Kibbutz Kfar Aza) passed to the newly established State of Israel in 1948; the population from southern Palestine was partly expelled to the coast, while others fled there seeking refuge. During the Six-Day War of June 1967, the Israeli army conquered, among other territories, the Gaza Strip, a territory the Israeli state has held under occupation ever since, in accordance with international law. For decades, Gaza and its coastal hinterland have constituted the most densely populated place on Earth, initially fenced off, later walled in, and, since 2007, subject to a blockade and under the control of the Israeli state. Exposed to the inaction of the international community and the worsening climate catastrophe, life within these walls has increasingly devolved into a living hell.
In the discourse surrounding Israel’s genocidal war against the population of the Strip, particularly here in our own country, the history of Gaza and its evolution up to 2023 play virtually no role. This lecture explores, albeit in a fragmentary manner, the significance Gaza holds, both historically and in the present day, by virtue of its geographical location; its role in biblical narratives (the titles of which are currently being repurposed for military operations by both the Israeli army and armed groups within Gaza); and the people who inhabit the territory. The history is presented through the use of maps and photographs that reflect both Western visual politics and the Palestinian self-image.
Go to Café Palestine Colonia (event in German)
City Walk
Babylon Berlin. Atlas of Arab Film in Early 20th Century Berlin.
15.3.2026 at 10 a.m. at Hegelplatz (Dorotheenstraße) Berlin Mitte. In the framework of CineConnect
At the intersection of Unter den Linden and Friedrichstraße, as well as in the Filmstadt district on the southern end of Friedrichstraße, numerous Arab-German encounters in the film industry took place between the 1910s and 1930s. The walking tour brings this “tropical Germany” (Zafer Şenocak), a society where “there is a chaotic and unarticulated mass of growth, full of color and life, which effectively precludes any sensation of order” (Elias Canetti), out of obscurity and reveals and reveals parallels to the present day.
Duration ca. 2 hours
Meeting point: Hegelplatz at Dorotheenstraße in Berlin-Mitte cose to U-Bahnhof Friedrichstraße, ending at Theodor-Wolff-Park in southern Friedrichstraße close to U-Bahnhof Hallesches Tor
Film Talk
Thursday, 5.3.2026 at 7pm @ Fliesenschön Gera (Germany)
Film evening THE DREAM in the framework of the exhibition Visit N36° / E36° Provisorien auf Dauer gestellt of photographer Alexander Fichtner
For his film The Dream, Mohamad Malas interviewed Palestinian refugees in the camps established in 1948 in and around Beirut about their dreams in 1981. He focused primarily on the nightmares the refugees had of Arab politicians, offering a perspective on the conflict with Palestine and its refugees that remains unique to this day. continue in German
Lecture
From the Holy Land to Terra Nullius. Public Talk followed by a film screening
22. February 2026, 19.00-23.00, Spore Initiative, Hermannstraße 86, 12051 Berlin, in the program of the Palinale
Gaza and the Politics of Representation
Lecture by Irit Neidhardt
This lecture will explore the tradition of Western political visual representation in the “Holy Land”, which is often mistakenly associated with Palestine. It will also provide an overview of Gaza's history. With regard to the politics of representation, it will begin with early photography, examining who photographed what and for whom.
The lecture will address the enduring influence of religious photography of Palestine as it was known in Europe. What role did Gaza play in this context? What is the city's history? Is it perceived as part of Palestine within the aforementioned political framework? The lecture will trace this development from before the foundation of Israel to the present day.
Filmscreening: One More Show (Palestine, Egypt, 72 mins) followed by Q&A with directo Ahmed al-Dhanaf and co-director Mai Saad
Amidst the devastation of the genocide carried by Israel in Gaza, a group of circus performers refuse to let despair take center stage. One More Show follows The Free Gaza troupe; Youssef, Batout, Ismail, Mohamed and Just, after being displaced from northern to southern Gaza , as they turn their craft into an act of defiance, resilience, and hope. As death hovers in the background, the troupe performs for children in shelters and on the streets, offering moments of joy in the darkest of times.
for more at Spore
Panel
Alternative Funds, Production, and Distribution of Palestinian Films
Wednesday, 18. February 2026, 16:30 until 18:30 Uhr, BAVUL, Annenstraße 13, 10179 Berlin, in the program of Palinale
Panelists: May Odeh, Palestine Film Institute | Hanna Atallah, Film Lab Palestine | Network of Arab Arthouse Screens NAAS | Cinzia Massaro, Nazra Palestine Short Film Festival | Alison Sterling, Bristol Palestine Film Festival | Irit Neidhardt, mec film | Fida Al Jounaidi, Festival Ciné Palestine | Munir Atalla, Watermelon Pictures
Moderation: Fadi AbuNe'meh
Moderation
Workshop: Media Representation of the Middle East Conflict
Saturday 14.2.2026 from 10am to 2pm, Sinema Transtopia, Lindower Str. 20/22/Haus C, 13347 Berlin, in the Program of the Critic's Week
As part of our thematic focus “Argue Against, Argue Again – The Limits and Potentials of Debate Culture,” we will screen the essay film ISRAEL PALESTINE ON SWEDISH TV 1958-1989 by Göran Hugo Olsson at Hackesche Höfe Kino on February 13 at 8 p.m. To complement the screening and tie in with the film’s theme, on February 14 we are offering a workshop on media representation of the Middle East conflict. Knowing the film is not mandatory for participating in the workshop, but we are offering all workshop participants a place on the guest list for the screening on February 13.
The workshop will provide an opportunity for participants to discuss in depth the archival work carried out by Olsson and his team, as well as to apply the questions raised by the film to current reporting and the German media landscape in particular. There will be a moderated discussion with Olsson and television producer Lars Säfström (SVT), as well as short lectures by experts on recent developments in media coverage and the practical work of journalists covering the topic.
Guests: Göran Hugo Olsson, Lars Säfström, Daniel Bax | Moderation: Irit Neidhardt
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958–1989 (Israel Palestina på Svensk TV 1958-1989)
Friday, 13.2.2026 at 20.00h at Hackische Höfe Kino, Berlin, in the program of the Critic's Week
“Archive material doesn’t necessarily tell us what really happened. But says a lot about how it was told.” Göran Hugo Olsson and his team assembled this monumental and deeply thoughtful compilation of reportage on the Middle East conflict over the course of five years, working with 1,000 hours of material spanning 30 years of Swedish public television. The resulting film condenses political issues and sharpens one’s eye for complexity and contradiction, with analyses and interviews unfolded over the course of the film as if under a magnifying glass. A found footage film in which history and the present flow into one another, as much a contribution to today’s discourse as a historical record.
D: Göran Hugo Olsson, SWE 2024, 206 Min., Swedish Original with English Subtitles
Followed by a Q&A with Göran Hugo Olsson, moderated by Irit Neidhardt
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')