Nakba Day Rallies Sweep Australia as Final Sydney Screening of 'God’s Chosen People' Documentary Set for $1

Nakba is the Arabic word for “catastrophe”, and refers to the events that took place in 1948 during the formation of the state of Israel. During this time, more than 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced from their homes, and over 500 Palestinian villages were destroyed or depopulated. 

Families were expelled, entire communities disappeared, and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians became refugees almost overnight. For Palestinians, the Nakba was not a single historical moment that ended 78 years ago. It is seen as an ongoing reality of displacement, occupation, siege, and statelessness that continues today across Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and refugee camps throughout the Middle East.

This year’s Nakba Day demonstrations come during what many activists and human rights organisations describe as one of the deadliest periods in modern Palestinian history, following months of devastation in Gaza that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced the majority of the population.

Today’s Sydney rally will bring together speakers from across the Palestinian solidarity movement, politics, and community organisations. Among those speaking are Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi, Blak Caucus representative Lizzie Jarrett, Nakba survivor Fouad Shriedy, and Jamil Sawalmeh. The rally will be MC’d by Dalia Qasem alongside Yasmin Johnson.

But the activism surrounding Nakba Day in Sydney will not end with today’s rally.

This Sunday, supporters of Palestine will gather again, this time at Dendy Cinemas Newtown, for the final Sydney cinema screening of God’s Chosen People, a documentary that has already drawn packed audiences and controversy across Australia.

The screening comes after two separate university events at the University of Technology Sydney and Macquarie University were cancelled following pressure campaigns from Zionist groups, according to organisers. Both screenings had reportedly been fully approved, confirmed, and already selling tickets before being shut down.

Rather than backing away from the controversy, organisers responded by booking a cinema screening in Newtown and making tickets just one dollar. This decision is being framed as an effort to reduce barriers for students, young people, and community members wanting to engage with the film at a time when conversations around Palestine have become increasingly politicised and contested within public institutions.

Since its premiere, God’s Chosen People has toured cinemas across Australia, eliciting emotional audience reactions from audiences and selling out theatres. Viewers have described audiences leaving theatres in tears, embracing strangers after screenings, and remaining long after the credits to discuss the film and the realities facing Palestinians.

The cancellations of screenings at UTS and Macquarie University have only intensified interest in the documentary, with many supporters arguing that efforts to suppress the screenings have raised larger questions about censorship, academic freedom, and who gets to tell Palestinian stories in Australia.

Coming at the end of Nakba Day weekend, Sunday’s screening is expected to become more than just a film event. For many attending, it will act as a continuation of the solidarity shown on the streets today and a space where people can gather, reflect, connect with others in the movement, and engage with Palestine through storytelling and cinema.

At a time when public debate around Gaza remains deeply polarised, organisers say the message behind the event is simple: If people are trying this hard to stop audiences from seeing the film, more people are going to want to watch it for themselves.