Directed by Lina Makboul • Documentary • 2005 • 58 minutes
What kind of a person hijacks an airplane? The family of Leila Khaled, fled to Lebanon in fear of the armed Jewish group Stern Gang. This paramilitary unit first came to Palestine after WW2 to prepare the territory for those who had survived the Nazi concentration camps. While the persecution of one nation in Europe ended, the oppression of another began in the Middle East. At the age of twenty-four, Leila Khaled joined a commando unit of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. In 1969 she hijacked an airplane full of civilians in Rome, threatening to blow it up. In the end, no one died, but the world press became interested in the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
For most Palestinians - at home and in exile - she became an icon, something more permanent than a reflection in the mirror. Her charisma also influenced the director, belonging to a younger generation, who went on a journey to meet her childhood idol at a time when she also began to question her earlier views. The question remains whether Leila's act did in fact damage, rather than improve, the situation in Palestine.
Up Next in The Hundred Years’ War
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Aisha's Story
Directed by Elizabeth Vibert • Documentary • With Aisha Azzam • 2025 • 66 minutes
"Food is the most precious part of Palestinian heritage.” Aisha Azzam and her husband started their family grain mill in Baqa’a refugee camp, Jordan, 35 years ago. She treasures her role in safeguarding culture by ...
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From Ground Zero: Stories from Gaza
Directed by Rashid Masharawi • Documentary • 2025 • 113 minutes
From Ground Zero is a collection of short films initiated by Palestinian film-maker Rashid Masharawi, in response to the events following the attacks of 7 October 2023. The project brings together 22 filmmakers from Gaza, offering a...
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Ambulance (Mohamed Jabaly)
Directed by Mohamed Jabaly • Documentary • 2016 • 78 minutes
Mohamed, 24, aspires to make films in Gaza City, despite the lack of water, electricity, and closed borders that are part of every ‘normal’ day under the 7-year Israeli blockade of Gaza. While many young people dream of leaving Gaza, M...
