Palestine Comedy Club
Synopsis
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 KnowlesUnit 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.
See also
You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.
Rick on the Roof
Director: Isaac Atkin-Mayne
Year: 2025
In the mid-2000s, Rick Canty lost both his mother and their home in Barry, Wales. Evicted, he climbed onto his roof and stayed there for years in protest. Through candid interviews and archive, RICK ON THE ROOF reveals how a quiet neighbourhood becomes a community, throwing street parties and keeping him alive through storms, until Rick is suddenly injured under mysterious circumstances. Today, amidst the UK’s ongoing cost of living crisis, the community he shaped reflect on the legacy of their local hero. This slightly bizarre, emotional documentary explores one man’s fight for his home. Official Selection Folkestone Documentary Festival 2025 - World premiere
Criatura
Director: Nitya Ramlogan
Year: 2025
13-year-old Lola discovers a mysterious sea creature in her new seaside hometown. Their day spent together at the fun fair reveals questions of belonging. Layered with documentary audio recordings of conversations with 13-year old Lola and her London school peers about migrating to London from Mexico. Official Selection Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia 2025 Official Selection Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2025 Official Selection Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film 2026
SightNotSeeing
Director: Sheung Man Yim
Year: 2026
SIGHTNOTSEEING captures a cultural tour in post-colonial Kowloon, around the remnants of the Walled City, but not the kind of tour you'd expect. Filmed in a single overhead long take, it drifts through performance, misunderstanding, and (post-)truth, held together by confusion and just enough confidence to carry on. Official Selection International Film Festival Rotterdam 2026 - World premiere