2019 Hot Docs presents Gaza
Gaza (2019), directed by Garry Keane and Andrew McConnell, is a poignant and emotionally moving documentary about ordinary life in Gaza, a self-governing Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea which borders Egypt and Israel and which has been under an Israeli led boycott since the election of Hamas in 2006. The film is in Palestinian Arabic with English subtitles.
The documentary explores through a series of first-person interviews with Palestinians from all strata what life is like in Gaza. We see how they live, and learn their backstories against the juxtaposition of the Mediterranean Sea, images of Israeli warships patrolling the coast, acts of resistance against the State of Israel, the aftermath of resistance, and images of support for its leadership. Two million people live within the territory which is twenty-five miles long and seven miles wide.
The directors present a multiplicity of viewpoints as Palestinians weigh in on their situation living in Gaza. They include a young teenage boy who dreams of having his own fishing boat, a young articulate female student, a taxi driver, a tailor, a theatre director, a lifeguard, a rapper, a grandfather awaiting the release of his son from Israeli prison, a mother, and a fashion icon giving inspiration to young Palestinian girls to name many featured in the documentary.
The directors weave together many visual elements to create a fascinating and insightful film where the seascapes of the breathtaking Mediterranean Sea meet hardship, poverty, misery, death, and marginalization by a people under siege. Some of the most beautiful images in the documentary are scenes of the Mediterranean Sea. Some of the most powerful scenes include seeing the young men of Gaza, with nothing to lose and to do express their bent up rage, hurl rocks at the Israeli border in an act of resistance, and watching the young Palestinian men being repeatedly shot at and wounded by Israeli sniper fire. It includes the plumage of smoke resulting from the bombing of a refugee camp by Israeli forces and the images of the resulting carnage. The film raises many important questions: “Will the Palestinians ever exercise control over their territory?” “What can be done to end the boycott?” and “How can the world put an end to the deplorable situation in Gaza and help Gaza heal and recover from a long legacy of war and bloodshed?”
The film is a well-crafted and exquisitely shot. The Palestinian children are beautifully shot revealing their beauty and innocence. It shines a light on the plight of the Palestinian people in Gaza who live a shackled existence and are caught in a no man’s land against the backdrop of the majestic Mediterranean Sea. If you want to understand another perspective of the Palestinian question, the film will do just that. I applaud the directors and their film making team for giving a voice to the aspirations and hopes of the Palestinians living in Gaza who want to move on with their lives and live their lives without fear and in peace.
Gaza will be playing during Hot Docs at Various Theatres:
TIFF Bell Lightbox 2 on April 30 @ 6:00 p.m.
Isabel Bader Theatre on May 1 @ 3:45 p.m.
Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema on May 3 @ 3:45 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased here!
Check out our review for some other Hot Docs films
