GAZA screens at Bertha Dochouse at Curzon Bloomsbury in August 2019

Dir: Garry Keane & Andrew McConnell

Ireland / Canada / 2018 / 92mins

17-year-old Karma Khaial stands by the Mediterranean Sea that represents freedom to her. But in Gaza, the sea is yet another wall restricting the lives and dreams of its inhabitants.

This elegantly shot and masterfully crafted portrait of Palestinian life offers a rare chance to be immersed in the heart of Gaza. Inside a Gaza City taxi, we meet a teacher, a student, and a barber, who all share their dreams and daily predicaments with the driver, Ahmed, with surprising humour and candour.

Like its people, Gaza’s landscape feels kaleidoscopic: colourful yet pained, fragile yet resilient, ancient while looking to the future. But life moves in cycles in Gaza, and, in spite of everything, joy and humanity can be found in every corner of this mosaic of life.