Before 1948, Palestinian cities were thriving centres of commerce, music, cinema, literature and intellectual life. Haifa, Jaffa and other urban centres were connected to a wider cultural world stretching across the Middle East.
Directed by Ramez Qazmouz, Lost Cities of Palestine reconstructs this largely forgotten world through rare archival footage, historical photographs and the recollections of people who remember it. We encounter a Palestine of bustling streets, theatres, cinemas, musicians, cafés and commercial districts, a society whose cultural achievements are too often absent from popular historical accounts.
The documentary also examines the immense rupture of 1948, when the Nakba brought displacement, destruction and the fragmentation of Palestinian urban society. Beyond the loss of homes and livelihoods, an entire network of cultural institutions, artistic communities and social relationships was profoundly disrupted.
What makes this film particularly valuable is its visual preservation of Palestinian history. Rather than approaching Palestine exclusively through conflict, it allows us to explore the sophistication, creativity and everyday lives of the people who inhabited these cities.
For a community devoted to Palestinian cinema and cultural history, this is an important piece of the archive.