Latest news with #RashidMasharawi
The National
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Scottish firm to bring From Ground Zero film to UK cinemas
The anthology documentary, From Ground Zero, showcases' dozens of emerging Palestinian artists as they share messages of heartbreak and defiance which will be available in cinemas across the UK from September 12. The Glasgow-based distributor Cosmic Cat will release the film which has been described as an extraordinary time capsule of a visceral response to an ongoing catastrophe as the artist's call to bear witness the crimes being committed in Palestine. Produced by Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi and executive producer, and two-time Oscar winner, Michael Moore, each film featured on From Ground Zero rages in length from, three to six minutes, and presents a different perspective of the lived reality in Gaza. READ MORE: John Swinney and Donald Trump talk whisky tariffs in Aberdeenshire The collective of filmmakers aims to give the audience an on-the-ground, intimate perspective of a territory now so often viewed through war and casualty footage and will be able to be viewed across the UK, including at the Glasgow Film Theatre. Using a mix of genres including documentary, docu-fiction, stop-motion animation, and experimental cinema, From Ground Zero has been critically acclaimed for its ability to capture the experiences of Palestinian life, including the immense challenges and tragedies of navigating the warzone each day. Shot in between, and sometimes during, bombing raids across nine months from 2023-2024 From Ground Zero features short films like Damo Nidal's Everything Is Fine which follows the daily life of a comedian before he performs his stand-up set in a bombed venue. (Image: From Ground Zero) Other shorts like, Neda'a Abu Hassnah's Out of Frame sees artist Ranin Al Zeriei surveying the remainder of her destroyed studio, while Reema Mahmoud's documentary, Selfies, sits with a young woman while she applies her make-up to hide the physical signs of trauma. Meanwhile, shorts like Khamis Masharawi's Soft Skin which captures young children using stop-motion animation to relay the nightmare experience of their parents writing their family names on their limbs in case a bomb hits, aims to showcase the horrors Palestinians have faced during Israel's brutal bombardment on Gaza. Those behind From Ground Zero claim that the screenings aim to serve as a reminder that despite previous efforts to silence them, as the film was stricken from the 2024 Cannes lineup on political grounds after initially being accepted, Palestinian people's voices are louder than ever through art and film. You can click here to find out more information about screenings and tickets.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Personal Stories From Gaza Screen at Amman Festival Via Rashid Masharawi's Bold Film Initiative, From Ground Zero
AMMAN, Jordan — As Gaza remains engulfed in one of the most devastating conflicts in its modern history, Gaza-born Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi is focused on something both impossibly difficult and urgently necessary: storytelling. The veteran director, best known for 'Curfew' and 'Ticket to Jerusalem,' is the force behind From Ground Zero and its expanded follow-up From Ground Zero+, initiatives aimed at helping emerging Palestinian filmmakers document life inside Gaza. More from Variety 'In the Name of the Father' Director Jim Sheridan Talks Sea Lions, Family Road Trips and the Politics of Storytelling Expert Aleksi Hyvärinen Talks at Amman About How AI Is Rewriting Indie Filmmaking Gaza-Set Fatma Hassona Documentary 'Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk' Sells Wide for Cercamon (EXCLUSIVE) Several short films from the project have screened at this year'sAmman International Film Festival, which wraps July 10, offering audiences a deeply personal look at individual lives too often reduced to numbers. 'We were completely numbers — 100, 200, 1,000,' Masharawi says. 'Part of this project is about turning those numbers into humans again. People with names, eyes, colors, dreams.' Initially launched as a short-form workshop concept, From Ground Zero produced 22 shorts, each running between three and six minutes. The follow-up, From Ground Zero+, expands the format to include longer documentaries, up to an hour each, with 10 films in development. According to Masharawi, five are complete, and more are in production and post-production, with editing taking place in France. 'As long as the war continues, our cameras will continue,' he says. 'We wanted these films to be cinema, not news. Personal stories, not just reactions.' That distinction, between reactive documentation and intentional artistic creation, is crucial to Masharawi's vision. Despite working remotely with a team of five assistants inside Gaza, he served as the artistic advisor and story mentor, ensuring the filmmakers had both structure and creative freedom. 'I left space for the filmmakers to express not only their feelings, but also their cinematic ideas,' he explains. 'Some films are fiction, animation, video art, even marionette theater. Everything was open.' Stories From Inside The challenges of production were, as Masharawi notes, unlike anything faced in traditional filmmaking. Electricity was rare. Internet access often meant venturing into high-risk areas near hospitals and media tents, locations frequently targeted by Israeli airstrikes. 'We needed to move people, give them cameras, transport hard drives, and to talk, they had to go where there was Internet,' he says. 'Those were the most dangerous places.' Despite these constraints, the films that emerged are rich with humanity, loss and unexpected resilience. One four-minute short, 'Jad and Natalie,' tells the story of a man mourning a lost love. The filmmaker, unsure his story was appropriate at such a moment, was encouraged by Masharawi to proceed. 'He was shy, but I told him, 'This is exactly the story we need, something deeply human, far from the news,'' Masharawi recalls. 'And it turned out to be a very beautiful film.' Another, 'Taxi Wanissa,' follows a man using a donkey-drawn cart as a taxi service after fuel supplies ran out. The filmmaker, Etimad Washah, was only two days into filming when tragedy struck. She lost her brother, his wife and their children in a bombing. 'She appears in the film and says, 'I'm sorry, I can't finish it,'' Masharawi recounts. 'It's the first time I've seen that in cinema — where the filmmaker tells you, on camera, why the film has to end.' Some projects were never completed. 'One filmmaker lost everything: his camera, his laptop, his house,' Masharawi says. 'He was living in a tent. How could he go shoot?' Festival Run and Global Reach Despite the overwhelming odds, From Ground Zero has found remarkable success internationally. The collection has screened at more than 350 film festivals like Toronto, at Cannes in events organized in parallel to the festival, and it was shortlisted for the Oscars. In France, it's had a theatrical release, and it has been shown at institutions including Unesco in Paris and the United Nations in New York. 'For me, it's also about memory,' Masharawi says, 'and about showing the people in Gaza that they're not alone. Festivals, articles, audiences …. It means something. It matters.' Above all, he believes in cinema as a form of cultural protection, a means to preserve identity, memory and humanity in the face of destruction. 'Cinema can carry feelings, thoughts, dreams,' he says with gravitas. 'It becomes a land that no one can occupy.' Looking Ahead Asked what success might look like in 2035, Masharawi doesn't speak in terms of box office or distribution deals. He speaks, instead, of permanence, of history remembered, of stories told. 'No war lasts forever. No occupation lasts forever,' he says. 'Governments may win or lose battles. But people, the population, never lose. They are like trees, like sand, like the sea. You cannot win against nature.' For now, From Ground Zero+ continues to grow, despite the circumstances. As long as there are stories to be told from Gaza, Masharawi will keep making space for them. 'This is not my film,' he says. 'This is our film. I just give them the platform.' Best of Variety Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Personal Stories From Gaza Screen at Amman Festival Via Rashid Masharawi's Bold Film Initiative, From Ground Zero
AMMAN, Jordan — As Gaza remains engulfed in one of the most devastating conflicts in its modern history, Gaza-born Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi is focused on something both impossibly difficult and urgently necessary: storytelling. The veteran director, best known for 'Curfew' and 'Ticket to Jerusalem,' is the force behind From Ground Zero and its expanded follow-up From Ground Zero+, initiatives aimed at helping emerging Palestinian filmmakers document life inside Gaza. More from Variety 'In the Name of the Father' Director Jim Sheridan Talks Sea Lions, Family Road Trips and the Politics of Storytelling Expert Aleksi Hyvärinen Talks at Amman About How AI Is Rewriting Indie Filmmaking Gaza-Set Fatma Hassona Documentary 'Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk' Sells Wide for Cercamon (EXCLUSIVE) Several short films from the project have screened at this year'sAmman International Film Festival, which wraps July 10, offering audiences a deeply personal look at individual lives too often reduced to numbers. 'We were completely numbers — 100, 200, 1,000,' Masharawi says. 'Part of this project is about turning those numbers into humans again. People with names, eyes, colors, dreams.' Initially launched as a short-form workshop concept, From Ground Zero produced 22 shorts, each running between three and six minutes. The follow-up, From Ground Zero+, expands the format to include longer documentaries, up to an hour each, with 10 films in development. According to Masharawi, five are complete, and more are in production and post-production, with editing taking place in France. 'As long as the war continues, our cameras will continue,' he says. 'We wanted these films to be cinema, not news. Personal stories, not just reactions.' That distinction, between reactive documentation and intentional artistic creation, is crucial to Masharawi's vision. Despite working remotely with a team of five assistants inside Gaza, he served as the artistic advisor and story mentor, ensuring the filmmakers had both structure and creative freedom. 'I left space for the filmmakers to express not only their feelings, but also their cinematic ideas,' he explains. 'Some films are fiction, animation, video art, even marionette theater. Everything was open.' Stories From Inside The challenges of production were, as Masharawi notes, unlike anything faced in traditional filmmaking. Electricity was rare. Internet access often meant venturing into high-risk areas near hospitals and media tents, locations frequently targeted by Israeli airstrikes. 'We needed to move people, give them cameras, transport hard drives, and to talk, they had to go where there was Internet,' he says. 'Those were the most dangerous places.' Despite these constraints, the films that emerged are rich with humanity, loss and unexpected resilience. One four-minute short, 'Jad and Natalie,' tells the story of a man mourning a lost love. The filmmaker, unsure his story was appropriate at such a moment, was encouraged by Masharawi to proceed. 'He was shy, but I told him, 'This is exactly the story we need, something deeply human, far from the news,'' Masharawi recalls. 'And it turned out to be a very beautiful film.' Another, 'Taxi Wanissa,' follows a man using a donkey-drawn cart as a taxi service after fuel supplies ran out. The filmmaker, Etimad Washah, was only two days into filming when tragedy struck. She lost her brother, his wife and their children in a bombing. 'She appears in the film and says, 'I'm sorry, I can't finish it,'' Masharawi recounts. 'It's the first time I've seen that in cinema — where the filmmaker tells you, on camera, why the film has to end.' Some projects were never completed. 'One filmmaker lost everything: his camera, his laptop, his house,' Masharawi says. 'He was living in a tent. How could he go shoot?' Festival Run and Global Reach Despite the overwhelming odds, From Ground Zero has found remarkable success internationally. The collection has screened at more than 350 film festivals like Toronto, at Cannes in events organized in parallel to the festival, and it was shortlisted for the Oscars. In France, it's had a theatrical release, and it has been shown at institutions including Unesco in Paris and the United Nations in New York. 'For me, it's also about memory,' Masharawi says, 'and about showing the people in Gaza that they're not alone. Festivals, articles, audiences …. It means something. It matters.' Above all, he believes in cinema as a form of cultural protection, a means to preserve identity, memory and humanity in the face of destruction. 'Cinema can carry feelings, thoughts, dreams,' he says with gravitas. 'It becomes a land that no one can occupy.' Looking Ahead Asked what success might look like in 2035, Masharawi doesn't speak in terms of box office or distribution deals. He speaks, instead, of permanence, of history remembered, of stories told. 'No war lasts forever. No occupation lasts forever,' he says. 'Governments may win or lose battles. But people, the population, never lose. They are like trees, like sand, like the sea. You cannot win against nature.' For now, From Ground Zero+ continues to grow, despite the circumstances. As long as there are stories to be told from Gaza, Masharawi will keep making space for them. 'This is not my film,' he says. 'This is our film. I just give them the platform.' Best of Variety Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Egypt Today
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Egypt Today
Acclaimed director Rashid Masharawi collaborates for the first time with Baho Bakhash
Producer Baho Bakhash and esteemed Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi have met today at the 15th Malmö Arab Film Festival Industry Days, which runs until May 5th, 2025, in Sweden, in order to reach an agreement on a new Arab cinematic project bringing them together, under the title "the Natives". This announcement coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Industry Days current edition which is regarded as a celebration of collaborative creativity. Producer Bakhash stated, "It is the first project between Red Star and director Rashid Masharawi in a work that is written and directed by him. It will be a special Palestinian-Egyptian-Jordanian production reflecting the absurd consequences of the Palestinian situation in a satirical style, as well as a touch of black comedy. Full details will be announced shortly". She added, "MAFF Industry Days have become a bridge connecting filmmakers from various cultures, creating new creative opportunities and collaborative films that achieved significant global success. Thus, it is important to announce our new project with esteemed director Rashid Masharawi in the Arab cinema capital in Europe in order to proceed our artistic and cultural dialogue". Director Masharawi noted, "I was pleased with the announcement of this project through a platform for Arab cinematic exchange and collaboration in Malmö. Visions converge and ideas are embodied in new and special ways. In my opinion, 'the Natives' is a special cinematic experience. I attempt to reflect on the new and old Palestinian situations and recount events from new dimensions through a compelling cinematic presentation blending cynical humor, depth and simplicity". Masharawi added, "The primary motivation to write this story stemmed from the urgent need to consider the meaning of a person's loss of place, instead of only replacing a certain place. Indeed, it is an experience that sheds light on the diaspora of the soul, feeling and memory".
Broadcast Pro
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
Malmö Arab Film Festival unveils film line-up for 15th edition
The opening film of the festival will be 'Passing Dreams' by Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi. The Malmö Arab Film Festival (MAFF) has revealed its film programme and jury members for its 15th edition, set to run from April 29 to May 5, 2025. The festival will showcase 35 films—23 feature films and 12 short films—representing storytelling from 12 Arab nations, with co-productions involving 10 Western countries. This year's feature film competition includes 12 titles, while 11 short films will vie for top honours in their category. Additional highlights include selections in the 'Arabian Nights,' 'Special Screenings,' 'Schools Screenings', and 'Family Screening' sections, each offering diverse cinematic perspectives and engaging narratives. Commenting on the selection of films, Founder – Executive Chairman of the festival, Mouhamad Keblawi, said: 'We are proud that the 15th edition of the Malmö Arab Film Festival brings together a selection of the finest recent Arab cinematic productions, reflecting the cultural diversity and creative richness of Arab filmmakers. This year, we have carefully curated a well-rounded program featuring powerful films with compelling themes and distinctive directorial visions, offering audiences a unique cinematic experience and the opportunity to engage with the filmmakers themselves.' The festival will open with Passing Dreams by Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi, a co-production between Palestine, Sweden, Saudi Arabia and France. The film sets the tone for a week of cross-cultural dialogue and cinematic celebration. Expanding its reach beyond Malmö, the festival will also hold screenings in the nearby cities of Lund and Landskrona. Lund will feature 11 films on April 29, May 2 and May 3, while Landskrona will host a special screening of two films on May 3, allowing more audiences across southern Sweden to experience the festival's offerings. Among the standout titles in the Feature Film Competition are Arzé by Mira Shaib, Diaries from Lebanon by Myriam El Hajj, Everybody Loves Touda by Nabil Ayouch, Norah by Tawfik Alzaidi and The Brink of Dreams by Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir. These films reflect a range of contemporary issues, artistic styles and collaborative international efforts. The Short Film Competition includes notable entries such as Abu Judy, Bougainvillea, Chikha and Upshot, showcasing emerging talent and new voices in Arab cinema. Additional films to be screened include The Bridge and Il Signor in the Arabian Nights section, The Bad Son and Aziz Epoch in Special Screenings, and selections tailored for educational and family audiences. As MAFF continues to grow in scope and impact, its 15th edition reaffirms its role as a vital hub for Arab filmmakers and audiences in Europe, celebrating the evolving identity and creative force of Arab cinema on a global stage.
