From Ground Zero + – Masharawi Films Fund

“From Ground Zero +”

Gaza, the unfinished stories

The “From Ground Zero” initiative for Gaza films was launched by the filmmaker Rashid Masharawi during the ongoing war on Gaza. This initiative arose from the realization that the true voices of the people of Gaza are rarely heard, emphasizing the need to document their experiences, narrate the untold stories, and preserve the collective memory.

Following the success of the films currently being screened at major festivals in the Arab world and internationally, and their nomination for broadcast on some TV channels, the idea for a new initiative emerged:

Despite the harsh conditions in the Gaza Strip, there is a thriving creative space filled with artistic talents that must be supported to continue their creativity. Given the power of art to influence reality, it is crucial to empower filmmakers in Gaza to express themselves and foster their creativity, with the aim of producing artistic cinema that focuses on the daily lives, fears, dreams, and hopes of Gaza’s residents.

“From Ground Zero +” will consist of seven short documentaries, each ranging between 20 to 30 minutes, and three feature-length documentaries. Each film can also be shown individually. This approach allows for the presentation of diverse perspectives and the innovation of different production and filming methods, often extending over longer periods and covering various locations throughout the Gaza Strip.

The project aims to convey narratives and perceptions through “From Ground Zero +” with the aspiration to reach a wide audience worldwide.

To implement the project, a selection committee composed of three filmmakers and artists has been formed to ensure the quality of the project, oversee its execution, and evaluate the proposed projects. An administrative team will also ensure coordination and swift implementation.

To guarantee the completion of the project, we plan to select more projects than needed, considering the possibility that some may not be completed due to ongoing conditions on the ground.

The committee will work with filmmakers to develop ideas until they are ready for filming, based on clear criteria that prioritize the personal nature of the stories, their originality, themes, and treatment, as well as the talent of the filmmakers. The focus will be on untold stories that may sometimes seem unbelievable, yet are filmed in Gaza by equally remarkable filmmakers.

Our experience with the “From Ground Zero” project, through which 22 short films were produced in collaboration with 22 filmmakers in Gaza, has strengthened our belief in the feasibility of this project, despite its challenges, which mirror the situation in Palestine. From a practical standpoint, we ensure two essential aspects:

In Gaza itself, after eight months of production and filming during the war, we have managed to form a team of coordinators and production assistants with practical experience. Their task is to provide filmmakers with the necessary technical and human resources for production, as well as to manage and monitor budgets. Although it may seem surreal, we are able to transfer funds to Gaza with relative ease despite the circumstances.

These coordinators also manage the transfer of filmed materials and data to the post-production stage. Although the transfer processes sometimes take a long time, they eventually succeed.

From an administrative perspective, we make sure to secure the rights from all directors before filming begins to ensure the distribution of the films across various channels worldwide. Our true aim is international distribution and quality.

Aside from investments from the Masharawi Films Fund and the co-production fund, the initial budget is financed by partners, contributors, donors, and private sector sponsors.

Seven short films, seven directors

Colors Under The Sky

Reema Mahmoud – 21′

Aya, a 22-year-old artist from Gaza, lost her father and brother and was displaced with her mother to a tent in Rafah. Despite the harshness of war, she is determined to pursue her passion for singing. The film follows her journey as she searches for a composer and a studio to record her new song amidst the destruction, after setting herself a formidable challenge: to compose, sing, and record a song during the war and after immense loss. Will Aya be able to fulfill her dream?

Very Small Dreams

I’itimad Wishah – 20′

In the displacement tents of Rafah, Palestinian women try to preserve the well-being of their bodies despite the absence of the most necessities, those essential items no woman can do without, anywhere and at any time. Through living their daily realities, we discover the alternatives and innovations these women employ to protect their bodily dignity, especially during pregnancy, childbirth, and the period that follows, where bringing a child into life becomes a grueling adventure in a setting defined by the absence of life. Very Small Dreams takes us on a hidden, silent journey in which women claim the simplest of very small dreams.

Hassan

Mohammed Alshareef – 30′

When the starvation war in northern Gaza intensified, Hassan, a seventeen-year-old boy, never expected that his dangerous attempt to bring home a sack of flour would end with four days of detention, followed by fifteen months of forced displacement from the north to the south of Gaza. During this time, he lived alone in exile, moving from one overcrowded shelter to another, searching for food and a place to sleep, while repeatedly trying to reunite with his family scattered between loss and waiting. He lost his younger brother before displacement, and his father during the expulsion. The haunting desire to return home never left him, driven by the hope of being close again to what remained of his family — his mother and sister.

Gaza to Oscar

Alaa Damo – 23′

Amid war, siege, and destruction, Palestinian filmmaker Alaa Damo lives the very experience he documents through his lens: bombardment, displacement, and a daily struggle for survival. Alaa is one of the filmmakers trapped in Gaza whose films have managed to reach the world, even as they continue inside the Strip their daily search for shelter, a piece of bread, a sip of water, and a cinematic shot that carries their voice beyond the blockade.

The Wish

Aws Al Banna – 25′

Director Aws Al-Banna finds refuge in theater by working on a play whose content emerges from the memories tied to the participants’ suffering. As a form of drama therapy, the participants reveal during rehearsals their daily memories and traumas linked to destruction, war, loss, and the hazards of everyday life. Through their rich memories and deep personal experiences, the theater becomes a space for play, healing, and the pursuit of hope, safety, and reassurance.

Dreams of Farah and Zahra

Mostafa Al-Nabeeh – 20′

Farah turns to drawing as a way to resist the harshness of life, transforming colors and sketches into a breathing space that helps her endure the chaos around her. She dreams of moving from her temporary tent back to her home, where her paintings, colors, and bed await her. Her friend Zahra, gifted in voice imitation and dubbing stories for children, uses her talent to help them cope with their trauma. Her greatest dream is for the war on Gaza to end so she can pursue dubbing professionally. Dreams of Farah and Zahra is a documentary that weaves together art, heritage, and history with the brutality of reality, in a time overwhelmed by the unknown and the unimaginable.

Unfinished Stories

Nidal Damo – 19′

Three feature films, three directors

The Clown of Gaza

Abdulrahman Sabbah – 61′

The short clown, Uncle Alloush, is followed by the camera through the war: his constant performances to bring smiles to children’s faces, his return to his destroyed home in Al-Shati refugee camp, and his efforts to adapt to harsh realities while continuing to provide for his family. Through Alloush, we embark on a journey that reveals very personal details of his life “Gaza’s Clown,” “Maker of Joy,” or “Alloush the Clown”, these are some of the names people know him by, but above all, he is a father who never stops spreading hope despite the devastation around him.

Sama

Rabab Khamis

At just 10 years old, Sama survives in the ruins of Gaza by collecting garbage to support her family, while dreaming of a future where she can return to school and her childhood.

In development…

Citizen Osama

Ahmed Hassouna

A passionate Gaza photographer juggles his role as a father, his quest to capture the horrors of war, and his hope to preserve a trace of humanity in a world plunged into chaos.

In development…