TEHRAN-"Gaza" is a documentary directed by Garry Keane and Andrew McConnell, produced in 2019 by Ireland, Canada, and Germany. This documentary takes audiences on an 86-minute exploration of the daily struggles and resilience of the people living in this small strip of land. Filmed between the Israeli war in 2014 and the border protests in 2018, "Gaza" is backed by Ireland and premiered at Sundance before kicking off its international release at the Dublin Film Festival.

Rocket in response to the stone

In an interview with the Tehran Times, Keane explained that he was sick of looking at the controlled narrative that was coming out of Gaza. “The…"look at them attacking us (with stones) so we are justified in defending ourselves" (with heavy artillery) narrative, being delivered in rough, news sound bites and we wanted to provide something completely different.”

Only 25 kilometers long, seven kilometers wide, and home to two million impoverished inhabitants, Gaza is shut off from the world by a harsh blockade.

The film is about two teenagers from two sides of the social divide in Gaza: Karma and Ahmed. We first see Ahmed at the age of 14, who dreams of fishing and follows in the footsteps of many of the men in his family. His whole life revolves around the sea. 

Ahmed and his fellow citizens explain that the three-mile limit on fishing territory is imposed, monitored and enforced by Israeli border control; And that fly-fishing offenders are immediately charged and imprisoned.

Ahmed’s 36 brothers and sisters, for whom Deir Al Balah refugee camp is home, represent a young workforce for Gaza, according to their father’s beliefs.

The painful realities of Gaza are not limited to large refugee families. Originally from Jerusalem and of Istanbul heritage, lawyer, Manal Khalafawi, and her 19-year-old cellist daughter, Karma, share their stories about being trapped in a place where their educated, cultured minds and hearts have no chances to thrive, grow or take flight.

Karma, an astute young girl who finds limited solace in her cello and the sea, comments that people in the West “only see what they want to see.”

Final scenes bring us up to May 2018 and some of the bloodiest clashes in Gaza’s history, leaving 60 protesters dead and 2,500 injured.

Not just a battle zone!

“We set out to turn the cameras around and face them back to Gaza and its people, humanize them by letting them share their life stories, spend time with them, get to know them, let them explain to the world that all they want to do - and this goes for the vast majority of Gazans - is to lead normal lives, raise and educate their children and not live in a constant state of fear,” Keane said.

“We met beautiful, decent, hardworking family people when we were making the film in Gaza. They are being murdered en masse.”

The director explained that in the film they reveal the beauty, color, vibrancy and human warmth on display in Gaza. “It really is an extraordinary and unique place and sadly, because of the blockade, Gaza is never properly seen by the outside world, who are fed only a one-dimensional view.”

“We believed back in 2018 that our film would be the first time that audiences worldwide would literally see Gaza and would understand that it is more than just a battle zone, and come to realize that, yes, Gaza is devastated by recurring conflict but is certainly not defined by it,” Keane highlighted. 

An insight into Gaza

He pointed out that the film had been in planning for several years, ultimately requiring over six years to complete. “We know lots and lots of people in Gaza and have always been in touch with them, and always will.”

“Since November our company has raised over €140,000 for Gaza, for the charity Amjaad that we support there and other charities too and also to help our dear friends escape the horrific genocide that's happening there - in full view of the world,” the director added.

Keane told the Tehran Times that his purpose in making this documentary was to give the world access and insight into Gaza, so they could gain a proper understanding of the people and the place. He mentioned that the Israeli government likes to propagate the idea that everyone in Gaza is a terrorist and therefore, everyone in Gaza is a threat to the Israeli regime. 

“That literally makes every citizen of Gaza a legitimate target in their eyes and look at how that is playing out over the last six months - nearly 35,000 people killed and nearly 15,000 of them children! and thousands and thousands more injured. This is genocide plain and simple,” he added.

Anti-colonial Irish DNA

Keane also mentioned the influence of his Irish origin in his concern about the occupation of Palestine and said: “I come from Ireland and in our DNA, we have the memory of over 700 years of British occupation, so we naturally emphasize with any occupied territories but the Irish have always had a particular connection with the plight of Palestinians.”

He is thankful that they do not have much exposure to Zionists in Ireland and they’re not just ‘curious’ about Gaza here, they are very knowledgeable and very aware of everything that has been going on there for the longest time.

"Gaza" portrays the painful situation of the people of this strip as well as the inexcusable crimes of the Israeli regime in an honest way and avoids direct political engagement. However, the film’s very existence is enough for some critics to dismiss it offhand as "propaganda" or "manipulative and disingenuous". 

Keane believes that the incorrect and supportive policies of the United States towards the Israeli regime are the cause of the critical situation in Gaza. “America is helping to destroy Gaza. A nearly $100 billion aid bill to Israel was signed recently. That legislation provides Israel’s military with about $15 billion as it continues to bombard Gaza and kill innocent people.”

He also stated that the international community seems to have turned their backs on these tortured souls. “Everyone seems to have become desensitized to the cruelty that’s been inflicted on them. It's so very wrong what is being allowed to happen. I'm ashamed of the world's so-called lawmakers. There is no such thing as International Law.”

A new project about Gaza

The director was moved by the people of Gaza who continue to struggle against unbelievable hardship, persevere when hope is scarce, show kindness without seeking favors, offer welcome in the face of abandonment, and find moments of joy amidst devastation, inspiring them during the making of “Gaza”. 

“Now our film has become a historical document of what Gaza was and how maybe, it'll never be again,” the director added.

Keane told the Tehran Times that he and his team are planning to make a new film about the conditions in Gaza after October 7 and have just returned from Cairo; where they interviewed families who had escaped Gaza. Ordinary people who have no homes anymore, whose lives have been shattered and torn apart, many who have lost family members.

“Gorgeous human beings who have been forced to leave their homeland. It's Nakba all over again but on a completely different scale. We are going to follow these families over the next year and tell their stories.”

He noted that they are going to show people the horrific effects of displacement, something that has plagued Palestinians long before 1948.

Keane also mentioned Doctor Mahmoud Abu Nujaila, who was killed in a hospital strike at the Al-Awda hospital in northern Gaza. Keane recounted the sentence that Abu Nujaila wrote on a hospital whiteboard just before his death: “Whoever stays until the end will tell our story. We did what we could. Remember us.”

"Gaza" documentary won many awards including the Dublin Film Critics Award & Honorable Mention for Best Documentary (Ireland), the Pull Focus Award of Belfast Film Festival (UK), and the Audience Choice Award of Amman International Film Festival (Jordan).

AH/SAB