These 4 Films Are Bringing Palestinian Stories to the Doha Film Festival 2026
Palestinian cinema is taking the spotlight at the upcoming Doha Film Festival, with four films bringing stories of survival, family, memory, and resistance to the big screen. Running from November 19–27, 2026, the festival will bring together filmmakers and audiences to celebrate original storytelling from Qatar, the region, and beyond, with its Palestinian lineup offering a glimpse into the many ways filmmakers are documenting and exploring Palestinian experiences.
From a young girl working to help her family get by in Gaza to a story revisiting a filmmaker’s unfinished conversation, here are the four Palestinian films to keep on your radar.
Thirteen in Gaza by Hosam Abu Dan
Growing up is already complicated, but doing so without a mother, privacy, or a sense of security in a displacement camp in Gaza adds an entirely different weight to childhood.
Thirteen in Gaza follows a motherless thirteen-year-old navigating the challenges of coming of age amid displacement, offering an intimate look at what it means to grow up when the world around you offers little protection.
Sama by Rabab Khamis
Set to make its world premiere at the festival, Sama follows ten-year-old Sama as she collects plastic and cardboard in Deir al-Balah to sell as fuel and help support her family.
Through the everyday reality of a child taking on responsibilities far beyond her years, the documentary offers a close-up look at the resourcefulness and resilience shaping childhood in Gaza.
Conversation with the Sea by Muayad Alayan
In Conversation with the Sea, a Palestinian man in Jerusalem faces an unsettling legal demand: an Israeli court orders him to pay a hefty social security debt on behalf of his son, who supposedly drowned in the Red Sea more than 20 years ago.
What begins as a demand for payment opens the door to a story shaped by loss, unanswered questions, and the long shadow of the past.
Revolutionaries Never Die by Mohanad Yaqubi
Some conversations continue long after they have been cut short. Revolutionaries Never Die takes its starting point from the final email Lebanese filmmaker Jocelyne Saab sent to Palestinian filmmaker Mohanad Yaqubi in October 2018, inviting him to collaborate on a project. Saab died just three months later, leaving their planned collaboration unfinished.
Yaqubi’s film emerges as a response to that last message, revisiting an interrupted exchange and the creative connection between two filmmakers.
Together, these four films offer different perspectives on Palestinian life, from the realities of growing up in Gaza to stories of loss, memory, and unfinished conversations. As they make their way to the Doha Film Festival this November, they’re bringing Palestinian stories to a wider audience, reminding us of the power of cinema to preserve experiences, ask difficult questions, and keep stories alive.
