In 2024, The Festival Academy opened a space to listen and stay present with the realities lived by cultural workers from regions affected by conflict or systemic injustice. For the 5th edition of our Voices From online series, we invited to hold space, keep attention, and stay connected in solidarity:

Voices From Palestine took place on 10 December 2025, 3 PM CET, in partnership with Al-Harah Theater in Bethlehem. In the session we welcomed peakers from Palestine’s performing arts sector to share insights from Gaza and the West Bank following the claimed ceasefire, and to reflect on the challenges the sector will face in the coming year.

What does daily reality look like today for artists and cultural workers in Gaza and the West Bank? How will political conditional funding imposed by the EU shape the possibilities - and limitations - for the Palestinian performing arts sector in 2026?

• Iman Aoun is Co-Founder and Executive Director of ASHTAR Theatre, and an award-winning actress. An internationally recognised trainer specialised in Theatre of the Oppressed, she has initiated major global projects including The Gaza Monologues (2010, 2023), and Letters to Gaza (2024). She also directs the ASHTAR International Youth Theatre Festival.
• Said Zarzar is the Creative Manager at Holy Land Trust, acting as art director for the annual Bet Lahem Live Festival, and other events hosted by the organisation. Said believes that theatre is a tool by which an understanding of all groups can be achieved.
• Marina Barham is co-founder and general director of Al-Harah Theater with a long experience in managing and producing theater productions, festivals, and tours. As a trainer in Cultural Management in the Arab world, she is interested in networking and developing partnerships in the field of performing arts.

- The 90-minute session included short presentations of each speaker, followed by a Q&A.
- The event was based on registration.
- Registrations are closed.