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Full house at Dublin cinema for debut of short films made by Gaza children

There was a full house at the Stella Cinema in Rathmines for the cinematic debut of a series of 17 short animated films made by the children of Gaza. More than 200 guests attended the special 'Gaza in Colour' screening of these films, officially opened by the Ambassador of Palestine, Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, and organised by Shauna Cullen of Jam Media, with additional support from Animation Ireland and Avalon Films. Advertisement The short animations were made possible due to the efforts of Haneen Koraz, a former teacher and now an acclaimed animation director and mentor from Gaza. Working with children based in refugee camps in Gaza, she provides animation workshops where young artists can express themselves, process trauma, and preserve their stories, and their sense of childhood. Speaking about the event, Shauna Cullen said, 'We were honoured and delighted to be able to showcase these amazing short films. When you consider the circumstances in which they were made, I am in constant amazement at what these children and Haneen Koraz have been able to achieve. "These children are using art as a means of escape and they are doing so with such creativity, humour and compassion. It is an inspiration for anyone working in animation or the creative arts. Advertisement 'It is also an accessible way for younger audiences to understand what other children are going through in these difficult times, creating space for families to speak about what is a very difficult, sensitive topic in a gentle, meaningful way. 'Our hope is this is just the beginning of spreading word about these animations. Already we've been contacted by several other arts and film festivals who are interested in screening some of these works. "Going beyond that we would really encourage anyone who is interested – in animation, in children's wellbeing or in what is going on in Gaza to consider following their work online. By following Animation Community for Palestine on people can check out these brilliant short films and also catch the latest additions, with a new film published each week. 'Knowing people are seeing these animations, even thousands of miles away, gives these children a sense that what they are saying is being heard and that there is an audience for their work. Advertisement "If we can keep growing the Instagram account and get more views for these fantastic animations, it will really tell them their artistic voices matter, a very important signal given the day to day realities facing these children."