SAFAR Festival, one of the UK’s most beloved Arab cinema festivals returns to Birmingham, bringing the best of independent Arab storytelling to the big screen. We’re thrilled to collaborate with SAFAR once again for the West Midlands premiere of A State of Passion (2025)—an urgent and powerful new documentary by acclaimed filmmakers Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi

Join us before the screening for a short vigil, honouring all our martyrs through poetry, music and testimonies. Palestinian sage tea and honey will be provided. Stay for a conversation after the film with Dr Alan Kessedijan (who has been involved with supporting mental health training initiatives in the West Bank on and off for 15 years) and Yafa Ajweh, a lactation consultant who works with GINA (Gaza Infant Nutrition Alliance) to learn more about the tireless efforts of healthcare workers in Gaza who work in near impossible conditions of being under constant bombardment, forced famine and working with the bare minimum.

The film follows British-Palestinian surgeon Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah after his 43-day ordeal in Gaza’s bombarded hospitals, where he became a symbol of Palestinian resistance. Why does he return, despite the trauma? How does his family cope? The answer lies in their shared passion: Palestine.

Filmmakers Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi, close friends of the Abu Sittahs, document his raw journey from Gaza to Amman, Beirut, and beyond—exploring their collective State of Passion.