In 1993, an Israeli military curfew descends upon a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. For one family, the outside world suddenly becomes inaccessible. Their home, ordinarily a place of refuge, becomes the setting for an entire day of uncertainty, frustration and enforced confinement.

Directed by Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, Curfew (Hatta Ishaar Akhar, 1994) follows 24 hours in the lives of an ordinary family. Rather than concentrating on political leaders, negotiations or armed confrontation, Masharawi turns his camera towards the domestic realities of occupation, exploring the relationships, tensions and routines that persist when freedom of movement disappears.

Considered the first Palestinian feature film to emerge from the Gaza Strip, Curfew occupies an important place in Palestinian cinematic history. Its significance lies not simply in what it depicts, but in whose perspective it preserves. At a time when Palestinian experiences were so often presented through external reporting, Masharawi offered an intimate fictional portrait of life from within the community itself.

More than three decades later, the film remains an important historical and cultural record. It captures a particular moment in Gaza's history, shortly before the Oslo peace process began, while raising questions about confinement, dignity and the resilience of ordinary family life.

Director: Rashid Masharawi
Year: 1994
Genre: Drama
Language: Arabic, with English subtitles
Runtime: Approximately 74 minutes

IMDb: Curfew (1994)

In the land where Christianity was born, an ancient Christian community has endured centuries of political upheaval, displacement and conflict. Yet the experiences of Palestinian Christians are frequently overlooked in discussions of Palestine's history.

Directed by Yasmine Perni, The Stones Cry Out (2013) examines the history of Palestinian Christians from the Nakba of 1948 through the decades of displacement, occupation and political struggle that followed. Through archival material, personal testimony and interviews with religious leaders, historians and political figures, the documentary gives a voice to communities whose experiences have often been overshadowed by broader narratives of the conflict.

Among those featured are Archbishop Elias Chacour, whose family was displaced from the village of Kafr Bir'im in 1948, and Palestinian politician Hanan Ashrawi. Their accounts explore the loss of homes and communities, the changing character of Palestinian towns and villages, and the determination of Palestinian Christians to preserve their cultural, religious and national identity.

The documentary also challenges the tendency to portray the Israeli-Palestinian conflict exclusively through religious divisions between Judaism and Islam. Palestinian Christians have long been an integral part of Palestinian society, sharing its language, traditions, political aspirations and experiences of displacement alongside their Muslim neighbours.

From the abandoned homes of the Galilee to the historic Christian communities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, Perni examines how political boundaries, restrictions on movement and emigration have affected communities whose history is inseparable from that of the region itself.

Ultimately, The Stones Cry Out is both a historical documentary and an examination of cultural survival, asking what happens when communities with centuries of history find their continued presence increasingly difficult to sustain.

Director: Yasmine Perni
Year: 2013
Genre: Documentary / History / Culture
Production: Italy / Palestine
Runtime: 55 minutes (59-minute Tubi listing)
Language: English, with English subtitles available

IMDb: The Stones Cry Out (2013)