A toolkit for hosting a film screening to engage your network to build the movement.

Why host a film screening?

Films are incredibly powerful tools for reaching new audiences, communicating difficult messages, and bridging the gap between fact and emotion.

Film screenings are also relatively simple events to host, and are a good starting place if you’re looking to build new movements in your local community or educate your family, friends or local network about what is happening in Palestine.

Right now, in the midst of a genocide, we desperately need to shift the narrative here in Australia. We need to bring new people into our movement, improve peoples understanding of the reality of Israel’s occupation and genocide, and grow our movement if we want to build our leverage to seek justice for Palestinians. Holding community film screenings is an excellent way for you to help us do this.

How do I choose which film to screen?

• What level of historical and political understanding does your audience have regarding Palestine?
• What are the preconceived notions or assumptions your audience may hold about Palestinian people and/or Israel’s genocide against Palestinian’s in Gaza?
• What kind of storytelling may be best suited to your audience? (e.g. personal stories, historical documentation, etc.)
• What is the goal of your film screening? (Education, solidarity, community building etc. )
• With this information in mind, read through the descriptions for our recommended films to find content that is most appropriate for your audience and goals.

How do I choose which film to screen?

Before you host your screening, follow these easy steps to organise your action.

• Invite your audience! This could be your family, friends, colleagues or an open invite to your community.
• Decide on a venue to host your screening. This could be your house, a local community space, a room at your university or a local library.
• Promote your event. If you are hosting a film screening with an open invite, promote the event within your local networks, community solidarity groups, on social media and through APAN.

On the day

Before beginning the screening of your chosen film, give your attendees a short introduction. This could include:

• Short summary of the film and the topics it will address.
• Update on the current situation in Palestine.
• Share your personal story within the movement.
  • Why you feel it’s important to host this event
  • How you got involved in the movement
  • What you aim to get out of this screening
• Get some feedback from your audience.
  • Ask your audience to share what they hope to get out of the film
  • Facilitate a short discussion with your attendees to gauge their knowledge about Palestine – historical knowledge and in regards to the current situation.
• Any questions your audience hopes to have answered by the film.

After your film screening

After watching your chosen film its important to discuss its content with you attendees to gauge any questions they have, any aspects they didn’t understand, and to facilitate collective learning and knowledge sharing.

Each film has a short list of recommended questions to help you facilitate a discussion. Alternatively, you may choose to have a more informal conversation that is directed by attendees rather than structured questions.

Other tips for facilitating discussion:

• Set intentions for your discussion as a group to create a safe space for conversation. Learning can be uncomfortable and is not always linear, especially when new information challenges one’s world view.
  • As a group, make a commitment to listening to each other, engaging in respectful discussion, acknowledging that people have differing levels of understanding and being open to learning.
• Take note of any questions posed by your group, especially if no one knows the answer, so that you can revisit them with relevant information.
• Unpack where assumptions or ideas about Palestine and Palestinian people come from and facilitate a larger conversation about why western countries may create narratives that don’t resemble the reality.

What’s next?

After having discussed your learnings and reflections from the film, make a plan with your group about what you will do next to continue to learn and engage with the Palestine solidarity movement.

Here are some ideas to explore:

• Organise a regular meeting with your group that is dedicated to learning about and/or taking action for Palestine.
  
• Create a database of questions that emerged from your discussion and a plan to collectively find information and resources to answer these questions.
  • Discuss the information learned to answer these questions at your next meeting.
  • Repeat the process with questions that emerge from this discussion.
    
• Organise a book club or reading group.
  • Choose a book or article that relates to topics covered in your film and discussion.
  • Ensure your selection suits the group’s historical, political and cultural knowledge regarding Palestine.
    
• Plan another film screening.
  • Choose another film from APAN’s recommended films and set a date for your next screening and discussion.
  • You may wish to elect another member of the group to select the film and facilitate the discussion.
    
• Share your resources
  • Create a group on social media to share information, pages to follow, news and current events in Palestine and stories from Palestinian people.
    
• Attend local Palestine solidarity events as a group.
  • This could include local rallies, direct actions, forums, strategy meetings and many others!

See APAN’s website for upcoming events here.

See APAN’s website for other ways to take action here.