Gaza Women's Film Festival Opens Amid Rubble with New Cinema Academy

The wreckage of al-Nakheel Hall in al-Bureij, central Gaza, stood as a grim backdrop for a defiant act of creation. There, under the slogan “Women Creating Life from Death,” the second Gaza International Women’s Film Festival opened on Monday. The venue is destroyed, mirroring the fate of most structures in the enclave after three years of war that have claimed more than 74,000 Palestinian lives. But amid the rubble, the festival marked the official launch of the Gaza Cinema Academy, a new institution dedicated to preserving and projecting stories from the frontlines.

Five documentaries by Palestinian women took the screen. One stood out for its raw, personal lens: *A Sack of Flour*, an 11-minute piece by emerging filmmaker Mona Abu Qass. The film dissects Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon against Palestinians during the genocidal war. It tracks the desperate scramble for food, the lethal risks at aid distribution points, and the lives extinguished in the attempt to secure basic sustenance like flour. Abu Qass draws on her own trauma to show how hunger leaves a mark long after the immediate crisis subsides.

That theme hits close to home right now. Israeli restrictions on goods entering Gaza, paired with slashed food assistance, have triggered shortages and fueled fears of a return to famine.

“The idea for the film stems from a personal experience and a true story,” Abu Qass told Al Jazeera. “It documents daily life in Gaza, weighed down by bombardment, destruction, siege, hunger, and loss.”

She wants to capture the specific details that reveal both suffering and the stubborn determination to survive. “I seek to show reality as people experience it and help viewers understand what the war has done to their relationships, dreams, and hopes,” she added.

Another screening, *Beyond Silence* by journalist and filmmaker Raghda al-Buhaisi, shifts focus to the disabled community. The film follows a deaf artist in Rafah who never learned to read, write, or use sign language. His studio was destroyed by Israel, and his parents along with several family members were killed. Displaced to Deir el-Balah, he found refuge with another family who set up a makeshift studio by the roadside. His paintings, rendered in color and line, express a loss that words cannot carry.

“I want to highlight the additional challenges people with disabilities face during war, including displacement, family loss, and the destruction of livelihoods,” al-Buhaisi explained. “Art can cross barriers of language and silence, turning an individual experience of pain into a visual message that conveys Gaza’s suffering to the world.”

Three other works completed the lineup: *Soso: The Lifeline*, *Remnants of Light*, and *Dandana*. All document life under siege. *Soso: The Lifeline* tells the story of an orphaned child and his donkey, a pair who help others survive in the chaos of Gaza.

Five new documentaries have emerged from Gaza, carrying the weight of recent tragedy. *Remnants of Light* tracks a filmmaker grappling with the destruction of her home and the loss of her family. *Dandana* offers a different perspective, centering on a mother who lost eight of her children. She finds solace in Palestinian songs, singing with her surviving family to process her grief. These projects stem from a filmmaking diploma program that launched in March, gathering 25 young Palestinian women.

Festival director Ezzedine Shallah emphasizes that these films capture the raw experiences of women and girls during the war. They serve as visual testimony to daily life, creating space for women to speak in their own voices. Shallah told Al Jazeera that while the subjects vary, the films transform individual pain into broader human narratives. They expose the psychological and social scars left by conflict. “They preserve stories that might otherwise never reach the screen, transforming suffering into cinematic testimony and bringing Gaza’s stories to audiences beyond its borders,” he stated.

The festival runs until October 31, showcasing 73 films from 24 countries. It provides a wider stage for filmmakers from Gaza and other regions. Yet, producing cinema in Gaza remains incredibly difficult. Cultural institutions have been destroyed. Equipment is scarce. Funding is limited. Power and internet outages are constant. The pressures of war and displacement severely restrict production opportunities. Women filmmakers face additional hurdles in accessing training, production roles, and international festivals.

Rima Mahmoud, a co-founder of the festival, notes that the Israeli siege on Gaza has hindered young women’s filmmaking long before 2023. Many have resorted to simple methods to document reality. They often self-fund their projects despite the hardships. “Despite limited resources, these films deserve international exposure,” Mahmoud said. She stressed that the makers need technical and financial support, translation services, and partnerships with festivals and platforms.

Mai Masri, a Palestinian filmmaker based in Lebanon and another co-founder, sees these films as tools against erasure. They help young women tell their own stories and preserve collective memory. The process also builds skills and provides access to work in Gaza or via digital platforms. The academy developed this diploma in cooperation with al-Quds Open University, accredited by the Palestinian Ministry of Education.

Masri is now working to help these directors reach international stages. “We are seeking agreements with distributors to screen these films in educational and cultural institutions outside Palestine, and through international platforms and festivals focused on women’s and human rights,” she explained. This effort aims to bring the voices of Palestinian women to a global audience. It seeks to highlight their human experiences and artistic creativity. Ultimately, it hopes to strengthen the presence of Palestinian cinema internationally, opening new horizons for young female directors to reach global screening platforms and film festivals.