The Bristol Palestine Film Festival, now in its ninth year, returns with a range of documentaries and feature films (some never seen before in the UK) that provide a unique insight into life in and around Palestine, told through the stories of the people who live there.

Watershed kicks off its screenings with Cinema of Palestinian Revolution - a medley of films from the PLO film unit which have been tracked down and restored having been destroyed and lost from Palestinian culture since 1982; and In Vitro - a beautiful shot film exploring inherited trauma, exile and collective memory which will be followed by a conversation with Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind in association with Spike Island.

Key highlights include award-winning writer-director Bassam Jarbawi's Screwdriver, which was shot entirely in the West Bank and explores the physical and emotional toll on Palestinian prisoner - Ziad as he returns home after 15 years in Israeli jail and The Tower - a delightful 2D animation, suitable for a family audience telling the story of Wardi, a young girl living in a Palestinian refugee camp.

We'll be closing the festival with It Must Be Heaven, writer-director Elia Suleiman's (Divine Intervention, The Time That Remains) first film in a decade exploring the meaning of being in exile, and the absurdities of nationalism, normality and identity.

As well as the screenings at Watershed the Bristol Palestine Film Festival also takes place at other venues across Bristol. Check out bristolpff.org.uk for the full programme.

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