The Programme of the 22nd Edition
18–22 February
Five days of cinema, poetry, discussion, and live music dedicated to contemporary Palestinian and Arab storytelling. Screenings will be followed by Q&A sessions with filmmakers whenever possible.
All the events will take place at Teatro Massimo – Cagliari
Wednesday, 18 February
17:30 – Opening greetings and presentation
18:05 – The Mission | Gaza Collective
Arabic, English | Italian subtitles | 88’
19:40 – Free Words: A Poet from Gaza | Abdullah Harun Ilhan
English | Italian subtitles | 24’ + Q&A
20:25 – Les Chemins Bloqués | Atef Dhokkar
Arabic | English subtitles | 25’ + Q&A
21:15 – The Resilience of the Poppy | Mona Hammoud
Arabic | Italian subtitles | 40’
Thursday, 19 February
16:00 – My Memory Is Full of Ghosts | Anas Zawahri
Arabic | Italian subtitles | 75’
17:20 – The Last Letter to Nasser | Fayza Harby Bemmann
Arabic, Nubian | Italian subtitles | 60’
18:25 – Survival | Ahmed Ghassan Jaber, Ghaith Al Talli
Arabic, English | Italian subtitles | 10’ + Q&A
18:55 – The Pump Agreement | Ahmad Alkhalil
Arabic | Italian subtitles | 7’ + Q&A
19:25 – Hind Under Siege | Naji Fawwaz Salameh
Arabic | Italian subtitles | 24’ + Q&A
20:10 – Shrinking Space | Norma Nebot, Cristina Mora
Arabic, English, Spanish | Italian subtitles | 78’
21:30 – Khaled and Nema | Sohail Dahdal
Arabic | Italian subtitles | 18’
22:00 – Lullaby | Maria Saade
Arabic | Italian subtitles | 10’
Friday, 20 February
16:00 – Abele | Fabian Volti, Stefania Muresu
Sardinian, Arabic, Italian | English subtitles | 76’ + Q&A
(Out of competition – Sa Terra section)
17:40 – What the Sand Remembers | Mahmoud Mohmed Abu Ghalwa
Arabic | Italian subtitles | 30’
18:15 – Shifa Hospital: A Story of Steadfastness | Ahmed Al-Aklouk
Arabic | Italian subtitles | 51’ + Q&A
19:30 – The Palestine Exception | Jan Haaken, Jennifer Ruth
English | Italian subtitles | 70’ + Q&A
21:05 – Fragmented | Tanya Marar, Balolas Carvalho
English | Italian subtitles | 7’ + Q&A
21:30 – Strangled | Saida Hamad, Laura Menchaca Ruiz
Arabic | Italian subtitles | 40’
22:10 – Message | Saeed Moltaji
Arabic | Italian subtitles | 10’
Saturday, 21 February
10:00 – Live event: A Journalists’ Roundtable: Narrating the Genocide in the Media (NEW!)
16:00 – Aida Returns | Carol Mansour
English, French, Arabic | Italian subtitles | 72’
17:20 – Aisha’s Story | Elizabeth Vibert, Chen Wang
Arabic | Italian subtitles | 60’
18:25 – Coyotes | Said Zagh
Arabic | Italian subtitles | 20’ + Q&A
19:10 – Al Awda | Jason Soo
English | Italian subtitles | 70’ + Q&A
20:45 – Walid Chmait: A Life at the Heart of Cinema | Selim Saab
Arabic, French | Italian subtitles | 51’ + Q&A
22:00 – The Silence They Taught Us | Paula Sahyoun
English | Italian subtitles | 9’
Sunday, 22 February
16:00 – Wasim Dahmash presents the poetics of Ibrahim Nasrallah, in the presence of the author
17:00 – Island for Rent | Elio Turno Arthemalle, Salvatore Cubeddu
Sardinian | English subtitles | 30’ + Q&A
18:00 – Upshot | Maha Haj
Arabic | Italian subtitles | 30’
18:45 – Awards Ceremony
20:00 – Concert with Kamilya Jubran
In addition to its main programme, Al Ard Film Festival offers a series of dedicated educational events. These include exclusive sessions for high school students and their teachers, as well as a Masterclass for university students, which will be hosted at the University of Cagliari. These events are closed to the general public and reserved exclusively for the specified students and teachers.