DUBAI: Egypt’s El-Gouna Film Festival is bringing back its “Window on Palestine” program for the third year.
Set to run from Oct. 16 to 24, the festival’s eighth edition will play host to a roster of Palestinian films in the special section.
This year will feature seven short documentaries from the “From Ground Zero+” initiative, offering portrayals of life in Gaza.
The documentaries were created through the Masharawi Fund for Films & Filmmakers in Gaza, in collaboration with Coorigine Production in France. All the films are in Arabic with English subtitles.
The selected works include “Colors Under the Sky” by Reema Mahmoud, which follows a displaced artist struggling to create music amidst destruction; and “Dreams of Farah and Zahra” by Mostafa Al-Nabeeh about two young girls who hold on to creativity as an act of defiance.
In addition, “Gaza to Oscar” by Alaa Damo follows filmmakers who risk their lives to tell their stories; “The Wish” by Aws Al-Banna in which theater becomes a tool for recovery; and “Hassan” by Muhammad Al-Sharif about how a Palestinian teenager’s attempt to get a sack of flour leads to detention.
Also showing is “Unfinished Stories” by Nidal Damo in which a filmmaker drifts from one unfinished story to another; and “Very Small Dreams” by I’timad Wishah about women in Gaza’s refugee camps as they struggle to maintain their dignity and health.
Marianne Khoury, artistic director of the festival, said: “Our commitment to the ‘Window on Palestine’ program is not just a curatorial choice; it is a fundamental part of our mission as a festival in the region.
“Cinema has a profound power to document and to heal, and it is our duty to provide a space where the world can witness the incredible resilience and artistry of the Palestinian people.”
