If you haven’t yet experienced the Reel Palestine Film Festival at Cinema Akil, there’s still time,  but only just. The acclaimed festival is wrapping up its 12th edition, with its final screenings taking place on February 2, offering Dubai’s arthouse audiences one last chance to engage with powerful Palestinian storytelling on screen.

Running until February 1, Reel Palestine has once again turned Cinema Akil into a space for reflection, dialogue and resistance through cinema. This year’s screenings include award-winning documentaries that premiered at Cannes, as well as films recognised by the Academy Awards, spotlighting both established and emerging Palestinian filmmakers.

Held annually in the UAE, Reel Palestine is dedicated to showcasing Palestinian narratives through independent and alternative cinema, complemented by masterclasses, filmmaker Q&As, discussions and community gatherings that extend beyond the screen.

Final-Day Screenings to Catch at Cinema Akil

Below are the must-watch films screening on February 2, the closing day of the festival at Cinema Akil:

1) Wajib (PG13)

Set in Nazareth, Wajib follows Abu Shadi, a divorced schoolteacher, and his estranged son Shadi, who returns from Rome to help hand-deliver wedding invitations, a local Palestinian tradition. As they spend the day together, unresolved tensions surface, exposing generational divides, personal disappointments and political realities in a deeply human story.

Director: Annemarie Jacir
Language: Arabic
Time: 12:30pm
Tickets: Dh60

2) With Hasan in Gaza (PG15)

This moving documentary-style film follows 9-year-old Hasan as he navigates life amid the ruins of Gaza. Blending lived experience with cinematic memory, the film offers a poignant meditation on childhood, survival and resilience under siege.

Director: Kamal Aljafari
Language: Arabic with English subtitles
Time: 2:30pm
Tickets: Dh60

3) Habibi Hussein (PG15)

Meet Hussein Darby, the last projectionist of Cinema Jenin. When a German NGO plans to revive the historic cinema, Hussein embarks on a journey across the West Bank, and toward Israel,  hoping to reclaim his place. A tender, melancholic documentary about time, memory and disappearing dreams.

Director: Alex Bakri
Language: Arabic with English subtitles
Time: 4:45pm
Tickets: Dh60

4) Palestine 36 (PG15)

Set during the 1936 Palestinian revolt under British colonial rule, the film follows Yusuf, a villager torn between his rural roots and Jerusalem’s rising unrest. As resistance intensifies, history closes in, reminding viewers that personal dreams cannot always escape political realities.

Director: Annemarie Jacir
Language: Arabic with English subtitles
Time: 6:45pm & 9:00pm
Tickets: Dh60

Note: While the first three films screen only as part of the festival, Palestine 36 will continue screening throughout February.

Festival Details:
Where: Cinema Akil, Dubai
For more information: www.cinemaakil.com

As Reel Palestine draws to a close, these final screenings offer a powerful reminder of cinema’s ability to document memory, challenge narratives, and humanise history, one frame at a time.

(By Shura Kola)