Palestinian Filmmakers like Rashid Masharawi are amplifying Palestinian voices against all the odds.
The renowned Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi premiered his latest work, Passing Dreams, at the recent Cairo Film Festival in Egypt. Known for his ability to tell complex stories rooted in Palestinian life, Masharawi’s films often navigate themes of displacement, resilience, and hope.
Passing Dreams follows Sami, a 12-year-old boy from a West Bank refugee camp, as he embarks on a journey to Bethlehem to seek his uncle’s help in finding a lost carrier pigeon.
On the eve of the festival, Masharawi reflected on the role of cinema in addressing despair.
“Where there is no hope, cinema should invent it just to show it to the people and make them touch it and believe in it. This also is part of our resistance. After all the years of occupation, we still have hope because we like tomorrow,” says Masharawi.
Earlier this year, Masharawi organized From Ground Zero, a project featuring 22 short films created by Gaza-based filmmakers during the war.
The collection faced significant challenges when it was initially accepted but was later excluded from the Cannes Film Festival.
In response, he staged a protest screening outside the festival grounds. A makeshift tent adorned with Palestinian flags served as the venue, symbolizing the resilience of displaced communities.
“I will not allow the festival to decide that we do not exist and to exclude our voices,” says Masharawi.
The filmmakers involved in From Ground Zero faced extraordinary circumstances while working on their projects. Film maker Wissam Moussa contributed the short film Farah, focusing on a child who lost 75 family members during the war.
“The film moves between stories of her daily life during the war. The girl has a strong personality and loves life, and the film explores joy, sadness, fear, and anxiety. The ability to convey such intimate and personal narratives, despite the chaos, highlighted the power of cinema in capturing untold stories,” says Moussa.
Another filmmaker, Hana Eleiwa, directed No, a documentary exploring the search for joy amid destruction.
“I was careful to send the footage as soon as possible, so that if I did not survive, the film scenes would reach the team working abroad,” says Eleiwa .
Her film includes one of the only songs featured in the project, discovered while documenting children singing amidst the ruins of Gaza.
Masharawi, who was born in Gaza to a refugee family from Jaffa, has long been committed to documenting the realities of Palestinian life. His career began with Passport (1986), a short film about a couple stuck at the Israeli-Jordanian border.
Since then, his work has ranged from feature films like Laila’s Birthday (2008) to documentary projects. His deep ties to the occupied territories and his ability to humanize complex political landscapes have made him a leading figure in Palestinian cinema.
Discussing the significance of From Ground Zero, Masharawi emphasized the importance of creating platforms for Palestinian filmmakers to share their perspectives.
“We gave filmmakers an opportunity to show their work and inform the world of stories from Gaza. The films are very diverse. Some narrate their own experiences because they are in the events—they are the event itself,” says Masharawi.
Through the collaboration, he and other participating filmmakers created a space for stories that would otherwise go untold.
“We are filmmakers. The world must hear us. We want our voice to be heard because we exist,” says Masharawi.
Projects like From Ground Zero and Passing Dreams underline his dedication to preserving and amplifying Palestinian voices through cinema. While each filmmaker involved in the project brought their own story, Masharawi’s leadership provided a framework for their collective resistance and creativity.
Notes from the Editor: This feature has been edited from its original publication here.
