Screening of “The Nakba” Part Three Sparks Cultural Dialogue in London
On Tuesday evening, January 27, 2026, P21 Gallery hosted a major cultural and intellectual event, featuring the screening of the third part of the documentary series “The Nakba” by Palestinian filmmaker Rawan Damen. The event also marked the launch of the gallery’s Cinema Club, attracting a diverse audience that engaged deeply with both the screening and the discussion that followed.
The audience included documentary enthusiasts, cultural activists, journalists, and members of the general public, all showing keen interest in the film, which chronicles key moments of Palestinian history from 1948 to the present day. The film draws on historical archives and verified visual testimonies, presenting a narrative grounded in the perspectives of Palestinians themselves.
Framing the Nakba Through Art
Prior to the screening, an art exhibition titled “Posters to the Olive Tree of Exile” was presented, featuring works by Turkish artist Yusuf Iğç. The expressive pieces depicted the suffering of the Palestinian people, highlighted the challenges faced by Palestinian journalists, and documented painful episodes from Palestinian history. The exhibition prepared the audience both emotionally and intellectually for the film.
Documenting Displacement Across Generations
The Nakba Part Three is more than a cinematic presentation; it serves as a visual archival record that re-narrates Palestinian history from the perspective of its people, offering an alternative to official narratives often dominated by Western media. The film is structured around rare archival materials, demonstrating that the hardships Palestinians face today are part of a long continuum of displacement and systematic expulsion.
The Nakba Through Palestinian Eyes
After the screening, an open discussion was held with director Rawan Damen. She emphasized that the series is intended “to place the truth at the forefront, as Palestinians themselves tell it, not as it is imposed from outside.” She added that the Palestinian experience cannot be reduced to the events of 2023 or the Nakba of 1948 alone, but is part of a project dating back to 1799, when political maneuvers and systematic planning laid the foundations of the Israeli state, accompanied by policies of expulsion, dispossession, killing, and land confiscation.
Damen highlighted that these films are not intended solely to evoke emotion but to document historical facts and create a visual archive that resists erasure, especially in light of what she described as “the neglect or complicity of much of the Western press, which avoids presenting the full truth under political pressure and powerful lobbying.”
Challenging Erasure Through Culture
The discussion also addressed the role of journalism in conveying truth and the importance of documentary cinema in preserving collective memory. Participants agreed that such works are more than films tied to specific events—they constitute historical references and visual records for future generations.
The event concluded with attendees stressing the value of cultural and intellectual initiatives that foster open dialogue and contribute to restoring the Palestinian narrative through art, imagery, and documentation, standing firm against attempts to erase or distort history.
Inside the Nakba Film Event
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