Slidefest Palestine is an evening of powerful, evocative images and presentations, structured around 7-minute presentations followed by a Q&A with each presenter. Centred on Palestine, the event will feature presentations from artists and photographers based in Palestine or the diaspora. Featured presenters include Samaa Emad, Rehaf Batniji, Maen Hammad, Sakir Khader and Samar Hazboun.
The projects span a range of stories and themes, from intergenerational reflections on exile, return, and the enduring struggle for Palestinian liberation, as explored in Amira’s Castle.
Slidefest is an event founded by Gulf Photo Plus in Dubai over 15 years ago. It is an evening of inspiring photography presentations and Q&A. Since its inception over a decade ago, GPP has held over 30 Slidefest evenings, presented in Bahrain, Dubai, Birmingham, Cairo, Jeddah, London, Riyadh and now Toronto.
Samaa Abu Allaban is a Gazan visual artist based in Paris. whose dynamic and thought-provoking creations delve into the intersections of art, identity, and humanity. Born in Gaza, and holding a degree in Graphic Design, Samaa explores the depths of human experience through a variety of mediums, including animation and digital tools. Her work poignantly reflects the complexities of home, the resilience of humanity, and the transformative power of oral history.
Constantly pushing the boundaries of traditional art forms to evoke profound emotional depth and provoke critical reflection, Samaa’s innovative approach to storytelling and visual representation has been showcased in several exhibitions worldwide.
In addition to her exhibitions, Samaa has illustrated several children’s books, where her distinctive artistic style merges with heartfelt narratives to inspire and educate young minds. Through her compelling work, Samaa seeks to instill a sense of wonder and curiosity in the next generation, fostering empathy and understanding for diverse lived experiences.
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Rehaf Al Batniji is a Palestinian visual artist and photographer from Gaza, based in France. Her work engages photography and archival practices to examine memory, displacement, and the construction of collective histories. Her work has been presented internationally, including at the 2024 Venice Biennale, Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, Tasweer Photo Festival in Doha, and the French Institute in Cairo, as well as at the Institut du Monde Arabe, Gulf Photo Plus Dubai, Farc Gallery in Metz, and Arles. Her work has been published in Le Monde diplomatique and Libération.
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Maen Hammad is a documentary photographer, writer, and researcher. Born in Palestine and raised in the suburbs of Michigan, he is currently based in Ramallah. Maen has exhibited his images internationally, and his work is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Maen has had his thoughts and images published in TIME, Huck Magazine, Dazed MENA and Caravan Magazine. He was awarded the Magnum Foundation’s Counter Histories Fellowship, selected for the Joop Swart Masterclass, and is a recipient of the Arab Documentary Photography Program. He holds a MA in international affairs from the George Washington University. Besides Maen’s work in documentary photography, he is also a human rights researcher and campaigner.
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Sakir Khader is a Palestinian documentary photographer and film director based in the Netherlands. His main focus is the relation between life and death in conflict zones, especially across the Middle East. Known for his raw yet intimate cinematic signature style, Sakir always seeks to illuminate the poetic sorrows of everyday life.
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Born in Jerusalem, raised in the West Bank, and based in Bethlehem, Samar Hazboun regularly works for publications such as The New York Times and The Intercept, is a grantee of the Magnum Foundation, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, and the Prince Claus Fund, and has worked as Agence France-Presse’s photo editor for West Asia and North Africa.
