Children with names written on their arms or legs to identify them in injury or death, digging in rubble for loved ones while calling out their names, sleeping on concrete, packed bags ready for the escape, buzzing sound of military drones overhead like ceaseless industrial drills, burning door frames for cooking, rushing in and out and back again, flashbacks to when your love is alive, lines for the toilet, water, and food in the camp, bodies in bags, and the future slipping through your hands.
22 short films bearing witness to the mass killing, starvation, sickness, trauma, sorrow, suffering, and bombing of the people of Gaza, but also testimonies to the struggle to survive and doing so with dignity and hope. The films are in various styles including documentary, hybrid, drama, animation, essay, and experimental art therapy.
"I believe in cinema and that it can bring about change," said Rashid Masharawi, one of the primary drivers behind the film. He was present at this North American premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. "We tell our own stories here, from the inside, how people are dealing with daily life, and with real emotion." There was a three-minute pause in the middle of the film and an active listener available to help us process the raw, heart wrenching images and testimony. "We are all on the same boat," said Masharawi "trying to do our best."
Sunlight on the sea, beckoning dreams, dancing, kites in the sky, encouraging stories, little joys like tea, music, drawing, singing of love and hope, laughter, awakenings, and wishes for happy and beautiful lives.
