For the First Time in 30 Years, Gaza Held a Movie Screening
August 26 witnessed the gathering of 300 Palestinian, non-segregated men and women in Gaza to watch the first cinema screening in 30 years — sadly, it was a one time thing.
Hamas – the ruling Islamist group of Palestine – have left no functioning cinemas in a city accommodating two million people, which caused the limitations of the living conditions in the area, especially under the Israeli blockade.
One of the organizers – Ghada Salmi – said that the one-night screening was symbolic, an indication for the increase in effort “to bring back the idea of cinema to Gaza”.
The barred and abandoned cinema Samer in Gaza City held the special screening of a film discussing Palestinians in Israeli prisons. “Ten Years”- the film – was made in Gaza with a volunteer crew. It’s said that it doesn’t focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; it just tells a human story.
Nermin Ziara – who appeared in the film – didn’t think Hamas would block or rule out the screening of movies as they had approved “Ten Years”.
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