Socio-cultural semiotic analysis of Palestinian films on gender-based violence

Abstract

ABSTRACT This descriptive-analytical study used thematic analysis within a socio-cultural semiotic approach to explore how violence against Palestinian women is semiotically represented in short Palestinian films. Using desk research and two-day focus group discussions with 17 participants, the study analysed a sample of four films, selected out of 270 surveyed. The study also produced an annotated bibliography of 21 Palestinian films that address gender-based issues, especially violence against women. The analysis revealed four common themes of films on Palestinian women: blockade and war, Palestinian identity, the future of women, and social control, mostly linked to political themes such as identity, power abuse, and women’s resilience and resistance to various forms of injustice.