July 10, 2025: As war continues to ravage Gaza, celebrated Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi is channeling despair into art — and giving a platform to voices from within the conflict. Known for his films Curfew and Ticket to Jerusalem, Masharawi now leads From Ground Zero and its expanded project From Ground Zero+, initiatives empowering emerging Gaza-based filmmakers to capture life under siege.
“These people were reduced to numbers — 100, 200, 1,000,” Masharawi said. “This is about turning numbers into humans. People with names, dreams, color, and emotion.”
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What began as a short-form workshop resulted in 22 films — each 3 to 6 minutes — that portray deeply personal stories. The follow-up, From Ground Zero+, expands to include hour-long documentaries. Ten are in development, with five already completed, and editing underway in France.
“While war continues, our cameras will continue,” he said. “These are not news clips. They’re cinema — crafted personal narratives.”
Working remotely with five assistants inside Gaza, Masharawi served as a story mentor, pushing filmmakers to embrace diverse forms: fiction, animation, marionette theater, even video art. Despite unimaginable production challenges — power cuts, internet blackouts, and the constant threat of bombings — the stories persisted.
One short, Jad and Natalie, about a man mourning lost love, was made under Masharawi’s encouragement. “I told the filmmaker: this is exactly what we need — something deeply human.”
Another, Taxi Wanissa, ends mid-story after the filmmaker lost her brother and his family in a bombing. She appears on screen to explain she can’t finish. “It’s the first time I’ve seen that in cinema,” Masharawi reflected.
Some filmmakers never got the chance to finish — one lost his home, equipment, and workspace entirely. But the project’s global impact has been immense. The shorts have been shown at over 350 international festivals, from Cannes and Toronto to the UN in New York and UNESCO in Paris. They were even shortlisted for the Oscars and had a theatrical release in France.
“It’s about memory and connection,” Masharawi says. “This shows people in Gaza they are not alone. It matters.”
More than cinema, this is cultural preservation. “Cinema can carry dreams,” he says. “It becomes a land no one can occupy.”
Asked what success looks like in 2035, he says simply: “No war lasts forever. No occupation lasts forever. But people — people are like the sea. You cannot win against nature.”
From Ground Zero+ is still growing. And as long as Gaza’s people have stories to tell, Masharawi will help them be heard.
“This isn’t my film,” he says. “It’s our film. I just give them the platform.”