Located at Issa's house, Ahmad Film House launched on December 2nd, 2025 after nine years of attempting to establish a community cinema to watch movies and engage in dialogue. Ahmad Film House, in honor of Ahmad Amro, a defender of human rights and the freedom of the Palestinian people, is a community space in Hebron dedicated to learning, cultural expression, and nonviolent resistance. The center brings Palestinians together to watch and discuss films made by their own communities — seeing their lives and stories reflected on screen. It also welcomes Israeli and international visitors to engage deeply with Palestinian reality and support a vision of dignity, equality, and justice for all. Designed for audiences of all ages, the Film House will showcase a wide range of films, fiction and non fiction, from educational works to stories of women, children, and everyday life as well as sporting events. The cinema is operated by local Palestinian volunteers.
Cinema Hebron: The Beginnings
Ahmad Film House began as the cinema Hebron project in 2016, when Palestinians and Jewish volunteers joined forces to try to establish a community cinema despite efforts by Israeli forces to shut it down. The original location of the cinema was in a closed factory building belonging only to the Abu Aisha family—the factor was closed by the Israeli military. In July 2016, Youth Against Settlements invited Israeli and Jewish diasporic volunteers to come and help clean the building to establish the cinema. Volunteers came with organizations such as the Center for Jewish Nonviolence and included political commentator Peter Beinart. As volunteers came and began cleaning the factory, Israeli soldiers arrived to shut down the action. They declared the area a closed military zone and detained numerous Jewish volunteers. Unfortunately, the army's crackdown on our efforts to establish Cinema Hebron were so severe that the project was put on hold.
Opening Ahmad Film House
After nine-and-a-half years, we finally managed to establish Hebron's new community cinema—the only cinema in the city, and Hebron's first cinema since the one that existed briefly in the 1930s. We finally opened the cinema on December 2nd, 2025. The location was constructed as an extension of Issa's house, a frequent meeting point for Palestinians and internationals. Ahmad Film House was named after Ahmad Amro, our brother, friend and volunteer, who humbly contributed to support the community and was heavily involved in media work for Youth Against Settlements. A group of Palestinian volunteers and supporters were invited to commemorate the passing of Ahmad and yet celebrate the opening of Ahmad Film House. The subsequent event was held with the full screening of the documentary, Coexistence My Ass! which was shortlisted for an Oscar, marking the first full movie screening at the cinema.
Hebron Film Makers
As we have opened the cinema and begun holding events, the next step is to establish a complementary initiative to encourage young Palestinians to make their own films. Children, youth, and women will be instructed in film-making, provided with the necessary equipment, trained in editing, and given the chance to see their work shown on the big screen. We are hoping to host Hebron's first film festival with short films by local Palestinian aspiring film makers!
