From Ground Zero – Untold Stories from Gaza

Various Directors / Palestine, France, Qatar & Jordan / 2024 / 115 min

In the heart of Gaza, Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi brings together local filmmakers to document their own lives and stories.

To give a voice to the people of Gaza and document their marginalized story(s), Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi started the project From Ground Zero: an initiative where local filmmakers – both experienced and amateur – are invited to tell their own stories in short films created with total artistic freedom. 

Despite the extreme shooting conditions, the vibrancy of the many entries shines through. The films mix everything from fiction and documentary to poetry and stop motion animation. The filmmakers work with whatever tools they can find in the rubble of their homes and cities and come together to share their stories, even when filmmaking can seem secondary to survival. 

Over twenty short films have been made so far, ranging from three to seven minutes long, all of which can be viewed here.

Featuring the following short works:

Selfie (Reema Mahmoud)
No Signal (Muhammad Alshareef)
Sorry Cinema (Ahmad Hassouna)
Flash Back (Islam Al Zrieai)
Echo (Mustafa Kallab)
Everything Is Fine (Nidal Damo)
Soft Skin (Khamees Masharawi)
The Teacher (Tamer Najm)
Charm (Bashar Al-Balbeisi)
A School Day (Ahmed Al-Danf)
Overburden (Ala’a Ayob)
Hell’s Heaven (Kareem Satoum)
24 Hours (Alaa Damo)
Jad and Natalie (Aws Al-Banna)
Recycling (Rabab Khamees)
Taxi Waneesa (E’temad Weshah)
Offerings (Mustafa Al-Nabih)
No (Hana Awad)
Farah and Mirayim (Wissam Moussa)
Fragments (Basil Al-Maqousi)
Out of Frame (Nidaa Abu Hasna)
Awakening (Mahdi Karirah)