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The people of Gaza survive, rebuild, and re-imagine their lives one month following Israel's brutal siege on Gaza in 2009.
2009 · 1h25m · France, Qatar, Switzerland
Arabic, English
English subs
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About the Film
“Where is the ghost town?” asks the little boy to the theme park attendant. “It’s there, right there. But it has been bombed. Do you want to see it?” With these words, Aisheen begins.
And the ghost town? Gaza is the ghost town. Clowns trying to make children forget the bombing with balloons and make-up; a beached whale “as big as a building” picked clean in a matter of hours by hungry residents; a scrawny stuffed lion hanging limply in a zoo cage—these surreal scenes convey the absurdity of a nation living on the brink, seemingly forever.
Shot a few weeks after the end of Israel’s January 2009 offensive, this sensitively crafted doc captures the human suffering and devastation wrought on Gaza’s Palestinian residents as they struggle daily to survive. But this compelling, impressionistic journey through Gaza also casts a gentle light on the creativity and resilience of Palestinians rebuilding their lives decade after decade of Israeli bombings.
Upcoming Screenings
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Festivals and Awards
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2010, Ecumenical Jury Prize, Berlinare Film Festival
About the Director
Nicolas Wadimoff
Nicolas Wadimoff was born in 1964 in Geneva and is a Swiss director, documentary filmmaker, producer, rock guitarist.
In 1988 he graduated from UQAM (Université du Québec a Montreal) in communications with a specialization in cinema.
Nicolas made his first documentary in 1990. He worked as a film director at Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS) and the French Swiss Broadcasting Service (TSR).
In 1996-2001 he was a producer and director of films at his own company, Caravan Films. In 1997 he made his first fiction feature. In 2003 he founded Akka Films, devoted to the development of fiction films and production of documentaries. Opération Libertad is his fifth feature.
In 2010, he received the Ecumenical Jury prize at the Berlin Film Festival for his film Still Alive in Gaza shot in 2009 in the Gaza strip.
(Image courtesy of dafilms.)
