Gaza’s first Children’s Film Festival officially kicked off on November 20 and will run until December 20, carving out a whole month of films, color, and creativity for kids who desperately need a break from the weight of their reality. Even in a place full of ruins and uncertainty, organizers and volunteers have managed to build something that feels surprisingly magical, held under the theme “We Love Life, Tomorrow”.
The Films They’re Showing
The festival opens with a gentle classic: The Red Balloon, a 1956 French short that’s basically pure childhood bottled into film form. From there, the lineup mixes global favorites with stories that speak directly to Palestinian life.
The Tower follows a young girl growing up in a Lebanese refugee camp, while The Wanted 18 tells the quirky true story of a West Bank community and their “outlaw” dairy cows. Together, the films offer both escape and reflection — a little wonder, a little humor, and a lot of heart.
Activities and Workshops for Kids
Movies are only half the story. The festival transforms damaged halls and open-air spaces into mini creativity zones where kids can draw, play games, get their faces painted, and watch clowns and musicians bring the room to life.
In the workshops, children learn to shape their own stories — scribbling scripts, sketching storyboard boxes, and trying out the role of “director” for the first time. Their finished clips will be screened at the end of the festival, giving them their own spotlight moment.
Making Art in Difficult Conditions
Pulling this off in Gaza is no small feat. Electricity flickers, equipment is scarce, and many cultural centers bear scars from the past two years. Still, events go on — sometimes inside buildings with bullet-pocked walls, sometimes amid piles of rubble.
And yet, once the kids fill the space with chatter, drawings, and laughter, it feels like the destruction fades a little, replaced by something more hopeful.
Conclusion
Running from November 20 to December 20, the Gaza Children’s Film Festival isn’t just about movies — it’s a quiet, steady act of resistance, joy, and normalcy. For a month, children get to reclaim pieces of their childhood: to laugh loudly, create boldly, and remember that imagination still belongs to them.
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