The lecture included a screening of Farah’s Oscar nominated and BAFTA award-winning film, The Present. Directed by Farah, The Present is a short film about a father and his young daughter who live in the Palestinian territory of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The story highlights the reality of everyday life for Palestinians, some of whom must pass through Israeli checkpoints everyday to gain access to basic amenities. The film sensitively reveals the human condition as both fragile and strong, and in doing so examines ordinary life and the harsh realities that accompany the daily decisions that a family must make, only to reveal a frustrating and painful truth.

Farah began working in the film industry in 2015, founding a production company through which she writes, produces and directs fiction films, enabling her to explore the Israeli military occupation of Palestine. Born and raised in London, Farah was educated at Francis Holland School - “I give a lot of credit to my education at Francis Holland for enabling me to get where I am today” - before establishing a career in finance as an institutional equity stockbroker, and then running a child-focused business for 10 years. 
 
Attended by over a hundred former pupils and staff, parents, sixth form pupils and current staff, Farah presented an engaging account of both her own and her family’s experiences that inspired her to write and direct The Present. Said Farah, “I chose film as the medium with which to express myself because I wanted to tell these stories far and wide in a way that would shed light on that reality. The film itself is fiction but rooted in a cruel, absurd reality.”
 
With grateful thanks to Farah for such a moving and informative lecture.

For more information about Farah, visit Farah Nabulsi. The website Oceans of Injustice features Farah's first short film and also deconstructs occupation and human rights violations.The Present is available to watch on Netflix and you can access Farah's previous short films from her production site HERE. Farah is currently working on her feature length film, The Teacher.