From Ground Zero / A-Mach à Neonaidh
Dir: various, 2024 Gaza Palestine, 1hr 22min, Language: Arabic with English subtitles, BBFC:12A
From Ground Zero is a compelling project that brings together 22 short films created by talented filmmakers from Gaza. Launched by Rashid Masharawi, a renowned Palestinian filmmaker, the initiative was born against the backdrop of conflictand aims to provide a platform for young artists to express themselves through their craft. The project captures the diverse experiences of life in the Palestinian enclave. Using a mix of genres including fiction, documentary, docu-fiction, animation and experimental cinema, From Ground Zero presents a rich diversity of stories that reflect the sorrow, joy and hope inherent in Gazan life. Despite the harsh filming conditions, Gaza's vibrant artistic scene shines through this collection, offering an intimate and powerful portrait of daily life and the enduring spirit of its people.
Winner of Cinema for Peace Award 2025
Headland / Rubha
Dir: Mariana Duarte, Scottish Doc Institute, 2024 13min
A nature reserve on the English Channel is a place of wonder and solace, shaped and haunted by violence. A sensitive look at life on a pebble beach reclaimed from the ocean, HEADLAND interweaves the age-old tradition of sea rescues with contemporary migrant crossings, as witnessed by the last of the Dungeness fishermen. The film is a camera-on-land perspective on migratory movements, as opposed to the water, where people seeking safety face life-altering journeys. ‘S e àite làn iontais agus sòlais a th’ ann an tèarmain nàdair air Caolas na Frainge. Tha e air a chruthachad agus a’ tathachadh le ainneartas. Tha HEADLAND a’ fighe an seann traidisean de teasargainnean mara cuide ri croisean imrich an latha an-diugh. ‘S e beatha air mol air a thoirt air ais on chuan, mar a chunnaic am fear mu dheireadh de na h-iasgairean à Dungeness, a tha an sealladh mothachail seo. ‘S e prospaig càmara-air-tìr air gluasadan imrich a tha am film, an aghaidh uisge, anns a bheil daoine a’ sireadh sàbhailteachd a’ dèiligeadh ri tursan a dh’atharraicheas am beatha.
