Director Mai Masri: The Gaza Academy of Cinema is Essential for Preserving Palestinian Memory

- Numerous discussions have taken place recently about who has the right to narrate the reality of what is happening in the Palestinian territories, particularly in Gaza. We have seen several films produced during and after the recent war that presented a glimpse of the painful reality experienced by the residents of the Strip, perhaps the most notable being the film "Citizen Osama" by director Ahmad Hassouna, which is the official Palestinian submission for the 2027 Oscars. Before that, there were films, series, and journalistic investigations that revealed bitter truths from the war, with Palestinians as its victims. To support young Palestinian voices capable of adopting and presenting the narrative cinematically for the world to see, the "Gaza Academy of Cinema" project was recently announced during the Venice Film Festival by a group of Arab and international filmmakers, including Palestinian director Azeddine Shalh, Palestinian director Mai Masri, Palestinian actress and director Hiam Abbas, Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri, American actor Ramy Youssef, Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir, Italian producer Graziella Bildesheim, and co-founder of "MAD Solutions," Alaa Karkouti.

Regarding this announcement and the importance of having such an academy, Palestinian director Mai Masri said in an interview with Ofoq News in Arabic: "The importance of establishing the Gaza Academy of Cinema comes at a time when the Gaza Strip is experiencing one of its most difficult phases, and at the same time, there is a great need to preserve Palestinian memory and provide the new generation with tools that enable them to express their experiences themselves. We believe that cinema is not just an industry or an art, but a means of preserving memory, telling stories, and creating images. From here, we want the academy to be a sustainable space for education, training, and film production in Gaza, and not just a temporary project linked to the circumstances of war."

The academy, according to Mai Masri, focuses on building comprehensive knowledge of film production, from screenwriting, directing, cinematography, production, and sound to editing, with a primary interest in cinematic storytelling and how to transform experience and ideas into film. She added: "We are keen that education does not remain theoretical but is linked to practice and film production. This is what we have already started with the film production diploma, through which we are training 25 girls in Gaza, where the training combines theoretical study and practical application, leading to training films and graduation projects."

Masri did not deny that there are many challenges facing the provision of such training, especially in Gaza. She said: "These challenges do exist, from difficulties in movement, power outages, and internet disruptions to limited equipment and security conditions. Therefore, we work with great flexibility. Training inside Gaza is as in-person as possible through Palestinian academics and trainers, while at the same time, we benefit from technology to involve filmmakers and trainers from abroad. We have already applied this model in the current diploma, where we combined training inside Gaza with the participation of filmmakers and experts from abroad, and this is the model we want to develop within the academy."

She explained: "We want students to learn the foundations of cinematic language, while at the same time being open to new and diverse forms of storytelling, and for each of them to search for their own cinematic voice. Therefore, there will be continuous communication with filmmakers and academics from different experiences and schools, focusing on cinema that emerges from real human experiences. We do not want to impose a single way on students to tell their stories, but rather to provide them with the knowledge and tools that help them develop their vision and style."

Regarding ensuring the academy's sustainability and supporting students by getting their films to Arab and international platforms, Mai Masri said: "International collaboration is an essential part of our vision, and we seek to build partnerships with universities, film schools, festivals, and cultural institutions, which allows for the exchange of experiences and trainers, organizing workshops, lectures, and joint programs, and opening opportunities for students to connect with the international film community. We also want this collaboration to extend to the post-training phase by supporting the development and production of films and helping filmmakers in Gaza to reach their works to international festivals and platforms, so that the student's journey does not end with the completion of their studies but rather begins from there."