The Leeds Palestinian Film Festival is experiencing a record surge in engagement, with multiple screenings declared sold out and community events drawing crowds across the city.
Following capacity audiences for Yalla Parkour and the historical drama Palestine 36 earlier this week, the festival has confirmed that the upcoming screening of Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk is now also fully sold out.
The festival’s impact has extended beyond the cinema screen and into the heart of the community. In a special collaboration with St Luke’s CARES in Beeston, local youth led the creation of a striking new indoor mural.
The artwork, designed and painted by local children, has transformed the venue’s interior into a permanent testament to creative resistance and solidarity. In a poignant moment during the workshop, the mural received its final touches from the community’s youngest members; two babies who literally left their handprints on the wall, symbolising the involvement of a new generation.
Festival Director Frances Bernstein commented on the sell-out success of ‘Palestine 36’:
“Selling out a film about 1930s Palestine sends a powerful signal. This is a chapter of history that is often glossed over, and tonight showed that Leeds audiences are hungry to see it brought to the screen.
“We aren’t just watching a period piece; we are watching the roots of the present. To see a full house engaging with this narrative proves that cinema is still the most vital tool we have for challenging historical erasure.”
With three major films now at capacity (Yalla Parkour, Palestine 36, and Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk), audiences are urged to book immediately for the remaining events to avoid disappointment. Find full deatls at leedspff.org.uk
This post is based on a press release issued by Leeds Palestinian Film Festival
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