From Ground Zero: a compilation of short films from inside Gaza and an act of defiance
Director Rashid Masharawi has brought together a selection of documentaries and fiction from Palestinian filmmakers telling their stories of the past year
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A genocide is not just the annihilation of a people, but of a culture. When a population lies in ruins, so does its art, traditions, humour, its sense of self.
In this context, many Palestinian artists, musicians and filmmakers have turned to their craft to preserve their culture amid destruction. From Ground Zero is one of its most striking examples. The film, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival and has its UK premiere on 29 November as part of the London Palestine Film Festival, is a collection of 22 shorts ranging from three to six-minutes-long, which paints a far-reaching portrait of the past year in Gaza.
The film is the brainchild of director Rashid Masharawi, whose latest work, the drama Passing Dreams, opened the 2024 Cairo International Film Festival in November. Growing up in Gaza’s Al-Shati refugee camp, Masharawi is a passionate advocate for Palestinian cinema, running workshops for budding filmmakers and helping screen their films across the region. With From Ground Zero, he operates as curator, asking those still in Gaza to share snippets of their lives, the untold stories of the realities of the past year. The chosen filmmakers are all Palestinians who made their work inside Gaza — though some have since been able to leave — receiving support and training from Masharawi throughout the process.
The huge range of styles with which the filmmakers approach their brief speaks to the incredible complexity of Palestinian culture and imagination. There is fiction, documentary, animation, absurdist humour, surrealism, profound grief and extraordinary poetry that underpins each piece.
In Flashback, a young girl dances in the ruins of her home, mourning the loss of her mother but finding a moment of joy and strength in recalling her treasured memories of their time together. Another short, titled No, takes a similar stance, with a female filmmaker talking about how she refuses to make her work a testimony of suffering, and instead uses music to celebrate her life.
In the fictional Charm, a young girl finds respite in her imagination, picturing the world around her filled with dancing figures. Humour also proves a soothing balm in the face of tragedy, as seen in Everything Is Fine, where a stand-up comedian arrives at a venue to perform a gig only to find it has been destroyed.
Other approaches are more unflinching in their portrayal of extreme injustice and despair, with A School Day showing a young boy gathering his textbooks to visit the grave of a beloved teacher. The documentary Soft Skin further exposes the trauma forced upon innocent children in Gaza as we watch them process their grief through art therapy. The latter was my personal favourite, as it conveyed the healing power of art and its ability to help make sense of the world even in the face of senseless violence. That particular short speaks to the heart of the From Ground Zero project itself — that simply in making these films, each of these 22 filmmakers were able to heal some small part of themselves.
From Ground Zero is ultimately an act of defiance. Growing up in Sudan, and having seen firsthand how authoritarian regimes suppress the arts and how wars further destroy them, the bravery of those still making art is profoundly inspiring. Even as we’ve been called to bear witness to the atrocities in Gaza through social and traditional media, From Ground Zero still comes across as a radical piece of work.
The film’s submission to the Academy Awards is a further act of protest. Hollywood and the Oscars have yet to truly embrace Arab cinema. Palestine has only ever received two nominations, both for Hany Abu-Assad with 2005’s Paradise Now and his 2013 film Omar. Palestinian films were not even considered prior to Abu-Assad’s work, as the Academy did not recognise its statehood — something that did not get in the way of Taiwan and Puerto Rico’s eligibility.
Even with this Oscar submission, it’s hard to work up much enthusiasm for awards season. No amount of championing of Palestinian art can heal the deep wounds of living in a world where such destruction is inflicted with impunity.
From Ground Zero doesn’t provide easy answers or comfort. But in its 115 minutes, there are 22 glimmers of hope. Gaza is still filled with art, culture and testimonies to the tenacity of the human spirit. The hope is that the next year will be better than the last and Gaza’s filmmakers will be able to not just preserve their culture, but to showcase how much they’ve rebuilt it.
From Ground Zero is showing in selected cinemas in London, Cambridge, Glasgow, Bristol, Oxford and Liverpool as part of the London Palestine Film Festival from 29 November-3 December.
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