Gaza surgeon Dr Nick Maynard returns to Derry for 'Life Support' screening
Distinguished doctor to speak at Nerve Centre following his extensive voluntary work with Medical Aid for Palestinians
An acclaimed new film documenting the life-saving work of doctors inside Gaza’s hospitals will be screened in Derry as part of Féile 2026.
Life Support will be shown at the Nerve Centre Cinema on Friday, August 7, followed by a discussion with leading gastrointestinal surgeon Dr. Nick Maynard.
Dr. Maynard, who features in the film, will return to Féile to speak about his work inside Gaza’s hospitals alongside Palestinian doctors, nurses and medical students during several visits since October 2023.
With international media largely barred from reporting inside Gaza, Life Support uses first-hand testimony and footage recorded by international doctors to show the reality facing healthcare workers under Israeli occupation and bombardment.
The film documents doctors trying to provide life-saving care in bombed-out hospitals with dwindling medical supplies, severe food shortages and an overwhelming number of casualties, predominantly women and children.
It covers the period from October 2023 and is a rare account of the daily struggle to keep Gaza’s health system operating as hospitals, medical staff and patients continue to come under attack.
Dr. Maynard first visited Gaza in 2010 and has volunteered extensively there since late 2023 alongside leading charity Medical Aid for Palestinians.
During his visits, he has provided life-saving care, carried out emergency operations in extremely difficult conditions and helped to train Palestinian surgeons and medical students.
More than 150 people attended Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin last summer to hear. Dr Maynard open Féile 2025 with a powerful account of what he had witnessed while working inside Gaza.
He described the devastating impact of the siege on its health system, including severe malnutrition, the lack of essential medicines and equipment, and the huge number of people injured and killed in Israeli attacks.
He also spoke of the bravery and strength of Palestinian medical staff who continue to care for patients despite facing hunger, bombardment and the loss of their own relatives, friends and colleagues.
Life Support is part of an extensive programme of films and screenings taking place throughout Féile 2026 and will be screened at the Nerve Centre Cinema, Magazine Street, on Friday, August 7 at 7pm.
Registration is available through Eventbrite here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/life-support-film-screening-qa-with-dr-nick-maynard-tickets-1993135976359
View the full Féile 2026 programme here: www.feilederry.com/feile-2026