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Broadcast Pro
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
‘Once Upon a Time in Gaza' now streaming on OSN+
The film is an international co-production between France, Palestine, Germany, Portugal, Qatar and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Palestinian filmmakers Tarzan and Arab Nasser's latest feature, Once Upon a Time in Gaza, is now available to stream on OSN+. A dark comedy with sharp social commentary, Once Upon a Time in Gaza tells the story of Yahya, a young student who strikes up an unlikely friendship with Osama, a warm-hearted yet streetwise restaurant owner. The duo begins trafficking drugs under the cover of delivering falafel sandwiches, but soon find themselves entangled in a dangerous confrontation with a corrupt police officer whose unchecked ego threatens to unravel their operation. This international co-production brings together the creative resources of France, Palestine, Germany, Portugal, Qatar and Jordan. The film features Nader Abd Alhay, recognised for his role in Farah on Netflix; Ramzi Maqdisi, known from the Berlinale-winning documentary Ghost Hunting; and Majd Eid, who appeared in the Cannes-winning Holy Spider. The production also boasts award-winning cinematographer Christophe Graillot (Ride Above) and editor Sophie Reine, a César Award winner for The First Day of the Rest of Your Life. Once Upon a Time in Gaza is directed by the Nasser Brothers from a screenplay co-written with Amer Nasser and Marie Legrand. It is produced by Rani Massalha and Marie Legrand of Les Films du Tambour and Muriel Merlin of Lyly Productions. The film is also co-produced by Rise Studios (Amanda Turnbull and Ziad Srouji), Made in Palestine Project (Rashid Abdelhamid), Red Balloon Film, Riva Filmproduktion, Ukbar Filmes, and executive producers Jordan Pioneers Multi Media & Slate Films Services, along with A.A. Films, Cocoon Films, Radio e Televisão de Portugal, and Kometa. Distribution across the Arab world is handled by MAD Distribution, with international sales managed by The Party Film Sales. Dulac Distribution oversees the film's release in France. Throughout its development, the film received significant institutional backing, including support from Aide aux Cinémas du Monde – CNC, Eurimages, the Doha Film Institute, the Royal Film Commission – Jordan Film Fund, and several European regional funds. The Nasser brothers, born in Gaza in 1988, are no strangers to Cannes. Their short film Condom Lead was selected for the festival's main competition in 2013. Their debut feature Dégradé premiered at Cannes Critics' Week, and their second film, Gaza Mon Amour, had its debut at the Venice International Film Festival and was Palestine's official submission to the 2021 Academy Awards. With Once Upon a Time in Gaza, the Nasser brothers continue to elevate Palestinian cinema on the international stage, bringing a unique blend of humour, heart and harsh reality to one of the world's most prestigious film festivals.
Asharq Al-Awsat
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Gazan Twins in Cannes Warn 'Nothing Left' of Homeland
Twin Gazan filmmakers Arab and Tarzan Nasser said they never thought the title of their new film "Once Upon A Time In Gaza" would have such heartbreaking resonance. "Right now there is nothing left of Gaza," Tarzan said when it premiered Monday at the Cannes film festival. Since militants from the Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has ravaged large swathes of the Palestinian territory and killed tens of thousands of people. Israel has vowed to "take control of all" the besieged territory of more than two million inhabitants, where United Nations agencies have warned of famine following Israel's implementation of a two-month total blockade. Aid started to trickle into the Gaza Strip on Monday, following widespread condemnation of the siege. The Nasser brothers, who left Gaza in 2012, said their new film set in 2007, when Hamas seized control of the strip, explains the lead-up to today's catastrophic war. "Once Upon A Time In Gaza", which screened in the festival's Un Certain Regard section, follows friends Yahia and Osama as they try to make a little extra cash by selling drugs stuffed into falafel sandwiches. Using a manual meat grinder that does not rely on rare electricity, student Yahia blends up fava beans and fresh herbs to make the patty-shaped fritters in the back of Osama's small run-down eatery, while dreaming of being able to leave the Israeli-blockaded coastal strip. Charismatic hustler Osama meanwhile visits pharmacy after pharmacy to amass as many pills as he can with stolen prescriptions, pursued by a corrupt cop. -'Human beings'- Israel first imposed a blockade on Gaza in June 2006 after militants there took one of its soldiers, and reinforced it in September 2007 several months after Hamas took power. "The blockade was gradually tightened, tightened until reaching the genocide we see today," Tarzan said. "Until today they are counting the calories that enter," he added. An Israeli NGO said in 2012 that documents showed Israeli authorities had calculated that 2,279 calories per person per day was deemed sufficient to prevent malnutrition in Gaza. The defense ministry however claimed it had "never counted calories" when allowing aid in. Despite all this, Gazans have always shown a love of life and been incredibly resilient, the directors said. "My father is until now in northern Gaza," Tarzan said, adding that the family's two homes had been destroyed. But before then, "every time a missile hit, damaging a wall or window, he'd fix it up the next day", he said. In films, "the last thing I want to do is talk about Israel and what it's doing", he added. "Human beings are more important -- who they are, how they're living and adapting to this really tough reality." In their previous films, the Nasser twins followed an elderly fisherman enamoured with his neighbour in the market in "Gaza Mon Amour" and filmed women trapped at a hairdresser's in "Degrade" from 2015. Like "Once Upon A Time in Gaza", they were all shot in Jordan. - 'Gaza was a riviera' - As the siege takes its toll in "Once Upon A Time In Gaza", a desolate Yahia is recruited to star in a Hamas propaganda film. In Gaza, "we don't have special effects but we do have live bullets", the producer says in one scene. "Once Upon A Time In Gaza" has received good reviews, with Screen Daily saying the "taut, succinct film should win widespread attention". Arab said that long before Gazan tap water became salty and US President Donald Trump sparked controversy by saying he wanted to turn their land into the "Riviera of the Middle East", the coastal strip was a happy place. "I remember when I was little, Gaza actually was a riviera. It was the most beautiful place. I can still taste the fresh water on my tongue," he said. "Now Trump comes up with this great invention that he wants to turn it into a riviera, after Israel completely destroyed it?" Gaza health authorities said at least 44 people were killed there in the early hours of Tuesday.
Arab News
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Gazan twins in Cannes warn 'nothing left' of homeland
CANNES: Twin Gazan filmmakers Arab and Tarzan Nasser said they never thought the title of their new film 'Once Upon A Time In Gaza' would have such heartbreaking resonance. 'Right now there is nothing left of Gaza,' said Tarzan when it premiered on Monday at the Cannes film festival. Since militants from Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, more than 18 months of Israeli bombardment has ravaged large swathes of the Palestinian territory and killed tens of thousands of people. Israel has vowed to 'take control of all' the besieged territory of more than two million inhabitants, where United Nations agencies have warned of famine following Israel's two-month total blockade. Israel allowed in several aid trucks on Monday but the UN said it was only 'a drop in the ocean' of needs. The Nasser brothers, who left Gaza in 2012, said their new film set in 2007, when Hamas Islamists seized control of the strip, explains the lead-up to today's catastrophic war. 'Once Upon A Time In Gaza,' which screened in the festival's Un Certain Regard section, follows friends Yahia and Osama as they try to make a little extra cash by selling drugs stuffed into falafel sandwiches. Using a manual meat grinder that does not rely on rare electricity, student Yahia blends up fava beans and fresh herbs to make the patty-shaped fritters in the back of Osama's small run-down eatery, while dreaming of being able to leave the Israeli-blockaded coastal strip. Charismatic hustler Osama meanwhile visits pharmacy after pharmacy to amass as many pills as he can with stolen prescriptions, pursued by a corrupt cop. Israel first imposed a blockade on Gaza in June 2006 after militants there took one of its soldiers, and reinforced it in September 2007 several months after Hamas took power. 'The blockade was gradually tightened, tightened until reaching the genocide we see today,' said Tarzan. 'Until today they are counting the calories that enter,' he added. An Israeli NGO said in 2012 that documents showed Israeli authorities had calculated that 2,279 calories per person per day was deemed sufficient to prevent malnutrition in Gaza. The defense ministry however claimed it had 'never counted calories' when allowing aid in. Despite all this, Gazans have always shown a love of life and been incredibly resilient, the directors said. 'My father is until now in northern Gaza,' Tarzan said, explaining the family's two homes had been destroyed. But before then, 'every time a missile hit, damaging a wall or window, he'd fix it up the next day,' he said. In films, 'the last thing I want to do is talk about Israel and what it's doing,' he added. 'Human beings are more important — who they are, how they're living and adapting to this really tough reality.' In their previous films, the Nasser twins followed an elderly fisherman enamoured with his neighbor in the market in 'Gaza Mon Amour' and filmed women trapped at the hairdresser's in their 2015's 'Degrade.' Like 'Once Upon A Time in Gaza,' they were all shot in Jordan. As the siege takes its toll in 'Once Upon A Time In Gaza,' a desolate Yahia is recruited to star in a Hamas propaganda film. In Gaza, 'we don't have special effects but we do have live bullets,' the producer says in one scene. Arab said, long before Gazan tap water became salty and US President Donald Trump sparked controversy by saying he wanted to turn their land into the 'Riviera of the Middle East,' the coastal strip was a happy place. 'I remember when I was little, Gaza actually was a riviera. It was the most beautiful place. I can still taste the fresh water on my tongue,' he said. 'Now Trump comes up with this great invention that he wants to turn it into a riviera after Israel completely destroyed it?' Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed 53,486 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health authorities, whose figures the United Nations deems reliable. Gaza health authorities said at least 44 people were killed there in the early hours of Tuesday.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Twin Directors Tarzan and Arab Nasser on Spaghetti Western ‘Once Upon a Time in Gaza': ‘With What Is Happening, the Title Is Even More Appropriate'
Gaza-born twin brothers Tarzan and Arab Nasser are back in Cannes with 'Once Upon a Time in Gaza,' their riff on the Western genre which, though not explicitly political, is certainly timely. Starting from its title. The film, which is premiering in Un Certain Regard, was conceived way before the current Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. It follows a young student named Yahya and a charismatic drug dealer named Osama who, while peddling drugs out of a falafel restaurant, are forced to grapple with a corrupt cop with a big ego. More from Variety Kirill Serebrennikov on Cannes Premiere 'The Disappearance of Josef Mengele,' a Portrait of Fugitive Nazi Doctor Venice Prizewinner Valentyn Vasyanovych, Rising Talent Antonio Lukich Headline Cannes Slate From Ukraine's ForeFilms (EXCLUSIVE) Cradle Film Studios Moves Forward as Backers Tout Plans for 'Most Advanced, High-Tech Studio' in Africa (EXCLUSIVE) 'Once Upon a Time in Gaza' marks their third feature after 'Dégradé,' which launched from the 2015 Cannes' Critics' Week, and 'Gaza Mon Amour,' which was Palestine's submission to the 2021 Academy Awards. Below, the France-based Nasser brothers speak more to Variety about contending with the latest tragic developments in their country while making 'Once Upon a Time in Gaza.' How did this film germinate? We started writing the screenplay in 2015 and then we kept writing new drafts. The basic idea was to depict Gaza using the tone of a Western but, at the same time, tell a story that would give the audience a sense of real daily life of the people in Gaza through two or three characters. Obviously Gaza today doesn't look today anything like what it looks like in the film. Are you concerned about that? Any story being told today about Gaza it's once upon a time, because Gaza is practically no longer there. But when we chose the title, that was before the genocide that is happening now. At that time we always asked ourselves why we chose 'Once Upon a Time' for the title. Well, first of all, we thought that it's a global title: There is 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,' and 'in the West,' and 'in Anatolia.' So why not 'Once Upon a Time in Gaza'? But now, with what is happening, the title is even more appropriate. Now there is a people trying to survive in a situation where most of their land is just rubble. The film is basically about two people who are dealing drugs by using falafels. And then there is a corrupt policeman. Is there a political subtext? We always try to just make cinema. But in Gaza, in Palestine in general, it's very hard to escape from politics because politics control everything, they control the daily life of the people there. But at the start we were just trying to make a Western film, a piece of pure cinema. And that's why we choose these three characters, let's call them the good, the bad and the ugly. Yes, but because of what is happening in Gaza right now, I don't think we can talk about this film and completely de-contextualize it. The word 'Gaza' these days conjures conflict. And you put Trump's 'Gaza Riviera' plan statement in the film, as well as occasional references to Israelis bombing with missiles. What was it like for you making this film at a time when the latest tragic developments were happening in Gaza? I want to tell you something. We had been writing this film for a long time and when we got to a point were we thought it was finished that was on Oct. 6 [2023]. We were so proud, we decided to throw a small party with two close friends, one of whom had just came back from Gaza. And we spent a night with him just telling us how the people there were more miserable than usual. Then, after Oct. 7 we spent five months creatively petrified in front of the TV and on the phone with our family who lives in the north of Gaza. Then suddenly we decided: 'OK, we have to go on, we have to go back to the script.' And we decided that what the film is about is history repeating itself and a people that has no options, no horizons, no dreams. They never surrender. They continue. They continue their life. That this is the politics inside this film. We are talking about the people who is trying to survive. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
