Latest news with #FromGroundZero
The Guardian
03-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Why are some trying to silence our film on Columbia's Gaza protests?
Recently, The Encampments opened at the Angelika Film Center in New York to a record-setting box office for an independent film – along with a storm of controversy. For us, as the distributor, the atmosphere was far from celebratory. The theater was forced to hire additional security, notify police and prepare staff for harassment in response to protests and threats from people who hadn't even seen the film. What is so dangerous about Palestinian films? The Encampments offers unprecedented access to the student protest movement for divestment against Israel's genocide in Gaza that began at Columbia University and spread nationwide. It captures the raw, unfiltered reality of the encampments and the students who risked their futures to speak out. It directly challenges the dominant, distorted narrative portraying these protests as violent or antisemitic, revealing instead a disciplined, principled movement rooted in solidarity, anti-racism, free speech and human rights – with many Jewish students at the core. That, it seems, is enough to make many feel threatened. We're now in an era in which even mentioning the word 'Palestine' is treated as a provocation. Donald Trump has openly used 'Palestinian' as a slur to attack opponents. Under his second administration, suppression and fearmongering are reaching levels more typical of a dictatorship than a democracy. Student activists such as Mahmoud Khalil, featured in the film, and Rumeysa Ozturk have been snatched by plainclothes Ice officers, disappeared from public view and threatened with deportation for criticizing Israel. This isn't dystopian fiction. This is the United States in 2025. And yet, films like The Encampments are being met with hostility. Before opening weekend, an angry patron vandalized the Angelika lobby and berated staff. Meanwhile, social media ads for the film are being censored. Behind it all is a pattern: politically motivated efforts to silence Palestinian voices. It's not just wrong, it's a threat to our most fundamental freedom: the right to free speech. When the Academy-shortlisted documentary From Ground Zero, which we also distribute, was released, it was widely praised for its humanist lens and deliberate avoidance of politics. Despite that and near perfect reviews, CUFI (Christians United for Israel) sent letters to Academy voters urging them not to support the film and pressured theaters to pull it. After a screening was scheduled in Gainesville, Florida, the venue received threats from donors to withdraw funding. It's extremely unfair for venue owners to be put in such a situation by politically driven pressure campaigns. We hope that despite attempts to intimidate them, theaters will not succumb to the pressure, and instead will make the right moral and business decision to show these films, for which there is clearly an appetite. The pressure doesn't end with threats or vandalism. Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the Oscar-winning No Other Land, was beaten by Israeli settlers and soldiers, seemingly in retaliation for filming what Israel wants hidden. According to Ballal, his name and the word 'Oscar' were shouted during the attack. And just last week, we were devastated to learn that the Gaza-based journalist Fatima Hassouna was killed in an Israeli airstrike the very same week a film featuring her as the main subject was accepted into the Cannes film festival. In Miami Beach, the city's mayor threatened to shut down O Cinema for screening No Other Land. When elected officials dictate what art can or cannot be shown, we're no longer dealing with discourse – we're dealing with censorship. And yet, the tides are slowly turning. Attempts to silence these films have failed. No Other Land won an Academy Award. The assault on Ballal prompted international outcry. The mayor of Miami Beach backed down. CUFI's letters were largely ignored. And films such as From Ground Zero, No Other Land and The Encampments are proving through box office performance that there is a strong demand. Still, there is a long road ahead. Arabs and Muslims remain deeply underrepresented in the film industry, both in front of and behind the camera. Zooming in further, Palestinians in specific are virtually invisible, with Mo Amer standing as a rare and singular exception. This is the crux: Palestinian films aren't dangerous because they incite violence. They're 'dangerous' because they offer a perspective contrary to the dominant narrative of the US government and Israel. The Encampments is not just a film – it's a test. Of courage, of integrity and of whether this country still believes in freedom of expression. Theaters that screen it are doing more than showing a documentary. They are standing up for the idea that cinema should remain a space for free speech and artistic expression. The question is: do all voices actually have an equal right to be heard – and if so, when will industry leaders stop being complicit in their silencing? The answer should have come long ago – but it's not too late. Hamza and Badie Ali are the co-founders of Watermelon Pictures, a Palestinian-owned film label dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices The Encampments will open in the UK in early 2025.
CairoScene
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Zawya Cinema to Screen Gaza-Filmed Docu-Series ‘From Ground Zero'
Launched by Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi, 'From Ground Zero' gives 22 filmmakers from Gaza a platform to tell their own stories of war, survival and resistance. Apr 23, 2025 As part of the 8th edition of Cairo Cinema Days, Downtown Cairo's Zawya Cinema will host the Egyptian premiere of 'From Ground Zero', a series of 22 short films produced in Gaza under siege. The screening begins on April 24th, with all films subtitled in English. The initiative was launched by veteran Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi to create space for filmmakers from Gaza to tell their own stories—first-hand perspectives that are often erased or sidelined in global coverage of the ongoing war. The project brings together fiction, documentary, animation, and experimental film to explore daily life, memory, displacement, grief, and resistance in a war-torn context. Tickets are priced at EGP 100, with the full screening schedule to be announced by Zawya Cinema in the coming days.
Arab Times
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab Times
‘From Ground Zero': film sheds light on genocide in Gaza
KUWAIT CITY, April 12: Palestinian Ambassador to Kuwait Rami Tahboub confirmed that 'From Ground Zero' is the most powerful and important movie ever filmed in Gaza Strip, three weeks after the start of the genocidal war waged by the occupying State against the Palestinian people, particularly those in the Gaza Strip indicating that Palestinian directors residing in Gaza produced the movie. Tahboub made the statement on the sidelines of the screening of the movie as part of the Palestine Film Festival organized recently by the American University of Kuwait (AUK) in cooperation with the Palestinian Embassy. Several diplomats, citizens, expatriates and supporters of the Palestinian cause attended the event. He stated that the producers of the movie are eyewitnesses to what has been happening in recent periods, indicating the movie is a collection of 20 short films. He pointed out that the goal is to inform the entire world about what is happening in Gaza in this difficult period. He said more than 100 people -- all filmmakers -- worked in the filming set. 'They faced difficulties due to power and Internet outages, as well as the need to communicate with the core team, including Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi. They risked their lives from the North to the South of the Gaza Strip to document these events,' he disclosed. He affirmed that the film has been shortlisted for an Oscar. 'It has been screened at 100 international film festivals, and there are attempts to screen it at the Cannes Film Festival,' he added. He emphasized that the film's ultimate message is for the world to know the genocide taking place in the Gaza Strip against the Palestinian people and for viewers to experience the moment that Palestinians have experienced. In addition, an Arabic evening event in Malmö, Sweden included the screening of 'From Ground Zero: Untold Stories from Gaza'. This project brings together 22 short films produced by talented directors from Gaza. Launched by prominent Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, the initiative emerged amidst the conflict and aims to provide a platform for young artists to express themselves through their craft. Each short film, ranging from three to seven minutes in length, offers a unique perspective on the current reality in Gaza. The project captures the diverse experiences of life in the Palestinian enclave like the challenges, tragedies, and moments of resilience faced by its people. Blending genres such as fiction, documentary, animation and experimental film; the movie presents a rich web of stories that reflect the grief, joy and hope found in Gaza. Despite the harsh recording conditions, Gaza's vibrant art scene shines through this collection, offering an intimate and powerful portrayal of the daily lives and perpetual mindset of its people. Present at the event were Arab and European filmmakers in Malmö, including the director of the Malmö Arab Film Festival in Sweden, renowned artist and director Mohammad Kablawi, and the project's founding director Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi who responded to the queries of a large audience at Panora Cinema after the screening.
Al Jazeera
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Jazeera
Selfies
DigiDocs Selfies Reema Mahmoud, a displaced woman in Gaza, shares her struggles during the war through a letter in a bottle in which she talks about the beautiful life she once had. She hopes her message will inspire people to appreciate their lives and cherish peace. Selfies is part of From Ground Zero, a collection of 22 short films made in Gaza, initiated by Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi, to tell the untold stories of the current war. From Ground Zero was the official submission of Palestine, in the Best International Feature Film category of the 97th Academy Awards in 2025.
The National
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
From Ground Zero curator on Oscars shortlisting and telling the real Palestinian story
Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza Since the documentary film collection From Ground Zero began screening at international film festivals last year, its curator Rashid Masharawi has welcomed the growing attention about Gaza it has sparked. Masharawi, a film director himself, has been making films about Palestine since 1987. When Israel's attacks on Gaza began in 2023, the director says he noticed that the news would report on death numbers in the hundreds, but forget the heartbreaking real stories behind them. He helped put together From Ground Zero, a collection of 22 short films made by Gazan filmmakers. It tells the stories of individuals who are surviving and showing resilience in the face of constant bombings. The aim, Masharawi says, was to give a voice to the voiceless, the ones he says were forced to remain quiet. "We wanted to tell the stories that were not being told, to tell them cinematically, using whatever equipment was available,' he tells The National. 'As people were attempting to save their lives, me and my team of filmmakers were trying to save the stories.' From Ground Zero was shortlisted for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars but did not make it to the final list of nominees, the winners for which are set to be announced on March 2. Masharawi says making it onto the shortlist was in itself a great accomplishment. 'When I thought of making From Ground Zero, I never considered it could be an Oscar contender, I just wanted the world to see what was happening,' he says. Getting on the shortlist benefited the film greatly, he adds, as it put it in the spotlight. 'I'm proud that our film was seen in more than 80 film festivals around the world, and screened in 150 cinemas in the US, which makes me feel like we already won multiple Oscars," he adds. Besides the Gazan filmmakers who contributed films, From Ground Zero involved input and help from people in France, Germany, Italy and the UK. Masharawi says some teams worked tirelessly to make sure the film was presented in the best way possible and could be appreciated cinematically. 'There are cinema professionals, who I call friends of Palestine, that instructed our filmmakers on techniques and methods," he says. "Before it was a collection of short films, it was a workshop for the filmmakers to learn from.' From Ground Zero was possible because many people reached out to him and offered help. He says: 'They didn't want to sit idly by. They wanted to offer assistance in any way they could.' From Ground Zero had 22 different directors, with whom Masharawi is still in touch. Other short films weren't completed that could make it to the new collection. 'In one case, a filmmaker was in the process of making her film but had to stop because their family home was hit by a rocket," he says. Masharawi also reveals that there are at least eight documentary film projects set in Gaza that he is helping and supporting. One of them will focus on the efforts of journalists on the ground and the many who lost their lives. 'They are cinematically and artistically capturing what is happening, and it will again be presented in a way that everyone around the world could watch and understand," he says. On January 27, 300,000 displaced Gazans who were earlier forced to flee began returning to their homes. Masharawi, who lives in Ramallah in the West Bank, says the scenes were equally happy and painful to see, adding that he was laughing and crying while seeing the people returning on television. 'I feel happy for any ounce of happiness felt by the people of Gaza, these people deserve some happiness after all that happened," he says. 'It's painful because it doesn't feel like the end of what happened. I consider it to be the beginning of a phase that will feel very painful. We're talking about thousands and thousands of people who are returning to destroyed homes. They didn't have time until now to realise how much they lost.' For Masharawi, the day was also personally important as he was receiving pictures and videos of his family and friends who were returning to their homes. 'They say it will take 10 years possibly to rebuild Gaza, I think what's more difficult is the time it will take to rebuild the humans of Gaza," he says.
