By Robert Leslie.
Two screenings of Oscar-winning documentary film No Other Land will take place at the Phoenix Cinema on Thursday 24 April, when folk will also have the opportunity to see a remarkable banner that has been created by women in Orkney in solidarity with Palestinians.
No Other Land offers a powerful view of destruction in the West Bank and the unlikely friendship between Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham.
The film was recorded between 2019 and 2023 and shows the destruction of a Palestinian community in the occupied West Bank, which has been resisting forced displacement following the declaration of an Israeli ‘firing zone’ on their land.
As well as the constant threat from the Israeli forces, the film also uncovers the inequality between the two men as they form an unlikely friendship. As they document the struggles of the Palestinians, Basel faces constant oppression and violence, while Yuval enjoys freedom and security.
The two screenings on Thursday 24 April- at 1pm and 7.30pm – are taking place in collaboration with Amnesty International and Orkney Friends of Palestine.
There will be an introduction by Nadia Heath, chair of Amnesty International in Orkney, and Palestinian Fairtrade produce will be available to buy in the cinema foyer.
Also on show will be the Stitch in Solidarity banner that was recently part of the Seeds of Hope – Voices from Palestine exhibition at Northlight Gallery in Stromness. Stitch in Solidarity with Palestine is a project started by Kirsty Russell with Healthcare Workers for Peace in Aberdeen, calling for an end to targeting of patients, staff and healthcare facilities in Palestine.
A group of women in Orkney added colourful panels to the banner, which arrived down from Shetland at the end of 2024, with workshops held over a number of weekends to create and then stitch together their designs.
Around 230 visitors saw the exhibition earlier this month, including visitors from Shetland, who were delighted to see the banner and pointed out the panels they had embroidered, and which have now been linked with those created in Orkney.
Donations made during the week-long exhibition mean that Shu’fat Refugee Camp Disabled Children’s Centre and the Hope and Play charity that provides services for children in Gaza will each receive £95.50, and £71.57 will go to Amnesty International UK.
Leave a Reply