Project Detail

Palestine Comedy Club

Palestine Comedy Club

Synopsis

When six Palestinian comedians hit the road to tour a stand-up show across Palestine and Israel, their search for humour amidst the injustice of everyday Palestinian life becomes a plea for humanity in the face of brutal war.
There are no comedy clubs - or even a tradition of stand-up comedy - in Palestine. The country is also carved up by walls, fences and checkpoints that create divisions in culture and quality of life between towns. As such, developing a comedy show that can speak to these very different audiences is a herculean task.
Despite the cultural and security challenges of going on tour, the five Palestinian comedians and their British director manage to cross checkpoints and borders to perform in theatres in Palestine and Israel. Audiences flock to the shows and the tour gains momentum through increasing public demand. Word spreads internationally and they are invited to London for a series of gigs starting, tragically, on October 7th, 2023, just as war breaks out at home. Suddenly, the mission to connect audiences with thoughtful humanity becomes an existential imperative.
Official Selection SXSW London 2025 - World premiere
Official Selection IDFA International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam 2025
Official Selection DOC NYC 2025

Details

Year
2025
Type of project
Features
Running time
93 min
Format
Digital
Director
Alaa Aliabdallah 1st Feature
Producer
Charlotte Knowles
Executive Producer
Carri Twigg, Mikail Chowdhury, Farzana Rahman
Editor
Libby Knowles
Director of Photography
Alaa Aliabdallah
Sound
Rana Eid
Composer
Khalil Al-Batran
Principal cast
With contributions from: Alaa Shehada, Hanna Shsmmas, Diana Swity

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

Tough Crowd Limited

Charlotte Knowles
Unit D228 Parkhall Business Centre
62 Tritton Road
London
SE21 8DE

Sales Company

Page updates

This page was last updated on 18th November 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

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