Tickets - all proceeds will be donated to Funds for Gaza
Event ticket: €10
Dinner at Rasa* + Event ticket:  €17,50 

An alternative event for anyone boycotting the Eurovision Song Contest. 

Israel’s inclusion in Eurovision gives it a stage to brand themselves as fun, cultural, and peaceful. While it in fact aims to cover up their ongoing war crimes against Palestinians.

This event provides a space to come together and collectively boycott the competition. Short films by Palestinian creators showcase the richness of the music scene in Palestine and give an insight into what it means - and what it takes - to make music and art under occupation. 

Palestinian Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) will give a short, informative talk about Israel’s history of artwashing/pinkwashing, effective cultural boycotting and how to create apartheid-free cultural spaces and events.
Afterwards, the bar will be open for drinks and music. 

RAFI’s free library of books, magazines and text-based resources will be set up; you’re encouraged to explore the collection and borrow educational materials to continue engaging with the themes brought up in the films and in the talk.

*Rasa Amsterdam is a collective sharing south-Asian culture in an inclusive setting on the ground floor of OT301. Mama Haqs runs the kitchen in Rasa and serves fresh south-Asian street food in the space. They’re offering a special community meal before the event. Purchase the ‘Dinner at Rasa + Event’ ticket option to join, the dinner will begin at 18.00 hrs. 

Program:
18.00: (Optional) dinner at Rasa 
19.00: Doors to Ventilator Cinema open
19.30: Short films
20.45: Talk by PABCI on artwashing and effective boycotting
21.30: Drinks at the bar with music and books by LibRAFI 

On the day of this event (11th May), there is a national demonstration (begins 13.00 @ Dam Square) calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza. Please attend to show your solidarity, more info here. 

Film selection (More TBA)

From Beneath the Earth (2020), Sami Alalul
From Beneath the Earth is a short documentary highlighting the struggles in life and art of five Palestinian musicians as they grapple with and attempt to transcend politics. It is produced by Mideast Tunes, the online platform promoting underground music from the MENA regions, in collaboration with Palestinian director Sami Alalul. The film features Mahmoud Jrere of acclaimed hip-hop duo DAM, West Bank hip-hop group Saaleek, Maysa Daw, and Haifa singer-songwriter Rasha Nahas. - View trailer

Moonscape (2020), Mona Benyamin
Moonscape* is a short film which takes the form of a music video for a ballad/middle of the road song, performed as a duet between a male and female singer, in Arabic. The song traces the story of a man called Dennis M. Hope, who claimed ownership of the Moon in 1980 and thus founded the Lunar Embassy – a company that sells land on a variety of planets and Moons, and makes a connection between his story and that of the director's – a young Palestinian woman living under the Israeli occupation, longing to end the misery of her people in any way possible. - Read more

Rise Up (2017), Dina Amin and Alice Denny
Rise Up is a 10 minute documentary following three young Palestinian artists based in the West Bank - a theatre director, a filmmaker and a DJ. This short film explores what it means to be an artist in Palestine, in relation to both the local culture and the restrictions imposed by the military occupation. Why is art such a powerful tool, and how are these different art forms used as a positive tool for change? - Read more

AYNY (2018), Ahmad Saleh
Two young boys run away from their mother’s protection and slack line on the danger of war to play music with the instrument they always dreamt to have. - View Trailer