The Palestinian anthology film “From Ground Zero”, directed by a team of Gazaouis filmmakers and produced by Rashid Masharawi, was officially selected to represent Palestine in the Oscar 2025 race for best international film. This selection highlights the crucial role of the film as a powerful testimony of the realities experienced by the Gazaouis during the war, and constitutes an important milestone for Palestinian cinema.
The choice of From Ground Zero was made at the end of a rigorous evaluation by an independent committee of professionals of the Palestinian cinema, mandated by the Ministry of Culture, the entity responsible for submitting candidates for the Oscars. The film was preferred among several works in competition, due to its ability to capture the essence of resistance and resilience of the inhabitants of Gaza, while offering an unprecedented perspective on their daily life marked by war and deprivation.
Imad Hamdan, Palestinian Minister of Culture, stressed the importance of this selection, saying that From Ground Zero is much more than a simple cinematographic work. He embodies the strength of Palestinian cinema, which continues to develop and be heard on the international scene, even in the most difficult moments. He also reaffirmed Palestine’s commitment to support her artists and creators, in order to promote their work and make Palestinian culture known around the world.
From Ground Zero is a unique film, born from the initiative of Rashid Masharawi, a Palestinian director and producer from Gaza. Inspired by the tragic events of war, Rashid Masharawi decided in December 2023 to give a voice to the unreased and invisible stories of the Gazaouis. This project brought together several young directors Gazaouis who, despite extremely difficult living conditions and very limited resources, managed to create a remarkable work of emotional intensity. This 90-minute feature film is made up of around twenty short films, each lasting three to six minutes. The directors involved in this project include Neda Abou Hassane, Karim Stoum, Bashar al-Balbissi, Mehdi Karira, OS al-Banna, Hanaa Alioua, Nidhal Damo, I’timad Weshah, Alaa Damo, Rima Mahmoud, Mohammed Al-Sharif, Khamis Mashharawi, Islam al-Zurai Al-Makoussi, Mostafa al-Nabih, Ahmed al-Danaf, Wisam Mousa, Alaa Islam Ayyoub, Tamer Najim, Rabab Khamis, Mostafa Kallab and Ahmed Hassouna.
From Ground Zero made its world premiere on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024where he immediately drawn the attention of criticism and the public by his poignant narration. The film was then presented at the Amman International Film Festival in July 2024, where it was praised for its originality and its commitment. In September 2024, it was planned that it will be screened at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival, thus strengthening its visibility on the international cinematographic scene and affecting an even more diverse audience.
In parallel with its international tour, From Ground Zero Also started a series of projections in ten Palestinian cities, thus offering the local public the opportunity to discover these authentic and overwhelming stories. This local broadcast is essential to allow Palestinians to see their reality represented on the screen, and to share these stories with the rest of the world.
Each short film of From Ground Zero brings a unique perspective on the daily life of Gazaouis. For example, one of the segments tells the story of a young girl who erases the inscriptions of her name on her body, refusing the idea of death that hovers over her. Another short film features a teenage girl who dances on sand, symbolizing the break between her joyful past and a dark present, where innocence is prey to violence. These stories, whether fictional or documentary, manage to capture the emotional depth of experiences lived by the characters, while reflecting the brutality and inhumanity of their daily reality.
Although these stories adopt various approaches, they all converge towards an emotional intensity that strikes the spectator in the heart, revealing often ignored realities of Gaza. If the cinematic quality of From Ground Zero is very uneven, mainly because of the difficult conditions of filming, it is the strength of his stories that makes him a serious candidate for an appointment to the Oscar for the best international film. However, the main objective of this selection goes beyond simple artistic recognition: it is a question of strengthening the voice of the Palestinians on the world scene and highlighting their daily life devastated by the war. This bidder candidacy is all the more crucial since it offers to From Ground Zero Increased international visibility, thus serving as a springboard to resonate the voices of the Palestinians, and in particular those of the Gazaouis, around the world.
With this selection to represent Palestine at the 2025 Oscars, From Ground Zero does not just testify to the reality Gazaouie. He asserts himself as a powerful vector of cultural resistance, a cry of dignity which resonates far beyond the borders of Palestine. This film embodies hope, perseverance and faith in a better future, recalling that, even in the darkest moments, humanity and art can survive and prosper.
Neïla Driss
