2026 Reel Time Film Series

The 2026 Reel Time Film Series follows young female activists in Chile, Hong Kong, and Uganda, a friendship between a Palestinian activist and an Israeli journalist, and three Ukrainian artists defending their craft, culture, and country. With screenings at 7pm on Tuesdays, February 24, March 10, and March 24 at the Knickerbocker Theatre, the free series of award-winning films is a program of the International Relations Commission and Hope College.

Info: DEAR FUTURE CHILDREN follows three young female activists—Rayen in Chile, Pepper in Hong Kong, and Hilda in Uganda—as they fight for social justice, democracy, and climate action in their respective countries. The film, directed by Franz Böhm, explores the challenges, personal impact, and motivations behind their activism, aiming to show the humanity behind the movements and inspire future generations. This film selection is hosted by the Holland Youth Advisory Council (HYAC).

Info: Basel Adra, a young Palestinian activist from Masafer Yatta, has been fighting his community's mass expulsion by the Israeli occupation since childhood. Basel documents the gradual erasure of Masafer Yatta, as soldiers destroy the homes of families - the largest single act of forced transfer ever carried out in the occupied West Bank. He crosses paths with Yuval, an Israeli journalist who joins his struggle, and for over half a decade they fight against the expulsion while growing closer. Their complex bond is haunted by the extreme inequality between them: Basel, living under a brutal military occupation, and Yuval, unrestricted and free. This film, by a Palestinian Israeli collective of four young activists, was co-created during the darkest, most terrifying times in the region, as an act of creative resistance to Apartheid and a search for a path towards equality and justice. Winner of the 2025 Academy Award for Documentary.

Info: Three Ukranian artists find inspiration and beauty as they defend their culture and their country. In a war waged by professional soldiers against ordinary civilians, Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko, and Andrey Stefanov choose to stay behind, armed with their art, their cameras, and, for the first time in their lives, their guns. Despite daily shelling, Anya finds resistance and purpose in her art, Andrey takes the dangerous journey to get his young family to safety abroad, and Slava becomes a weapons instructor for ordinary people who have become unlikely soldiers. As the war intensifies, Andrey picks up his camera to film their story, and on tiny porcelain figurines, Anya and Slava capture their idyllic past, uncertain present, and hope for the future.

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Host or Publisher International Relations Commission City of Holland