Gaza’s First Ever Film Festival Highlights the Struggles of Palestinians

December 14, 2009

A month after it was scheduled to begin, the Gaza Film Festival finally took place from December 5th to the 8th. But this wasn’t your average film festival. No paparazzi. No red carpets. No glitz. No glam. This festival was about much more than parties and awards; it was about the struggles of the Palestinian people.

Out of 152 entries from all over the world, festival organizers selected 40 films for screening, most of which focused on the occupation and Palestinian suffering. Many hoped that the festival would “garner international support by exposing the crimes committed by Israeli authorities,” reports Al Arabiya. Instead, this festival almost didn’t happen at all.

Israeli blockades made it difficult for organizers to get copies of the selected films. Riah Shahin, Palestinian director and chairman of the festival, said that films had to be smuggled into Gaza through tunnels and thus, the festival was delayed nearly a month. This is nothing new for Gaza. Blockades make daily life extremely hard for Palestinians, even in crucial times like health emergencies.

From the 40 films that were screened, 5 were awarded prizes by an international jury in Cairo. Countries like the UAE, US, Saudi Arabia, Norway and Egypt all had participating films, but this was also an opportunity for Palestinian filmmakers with little exposure to showcase their films to an international audience.

The festival aimed to bring award-winning Palestinian filmmakers from overseas together with ones working in Gaza. In fact, Shahin says, “The idea of the festival came to us after several Palestinians received prestigious awards from renowned international festivals while many others in Gaza have been deprived of this opportunity because of the Israeli blockade.”

Hopefully this won’t be the last we ever hear about a Gaza Film Festival. Though it was difficult to organize, the festival provided a platform to voices we rarely get to hear. The media is consumed with reporting the conflict from the Israeli perspective, but Palestinian filmmakers gave us rare insight into what it means to live under an occupation. And when all those films are brought together in one week, they sure send a powerful message to those listening.