Gaza – The Gaza International Festival for Women’s Cinema, headed by Dr. Ezzaldeen Shalh, concluded its second edition on Saturday, October 31, 2026, under the theme “Women Creating Life from Death.” The closing ceremony was held at the destroyed Al-Nakhil Hall in Al-Bureij, where the winning films in the national and international competitions, along with the Special Screenplay Awards, were announced.
On behalf of Dr. Ezzaldeen Shalh, the ceremony’s host expressed sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone who contributed to the festival’s success. Dr. Raafat Jouda, President of Al-Quds Open University, then delivered his address.
The ceremony included the presentation of participation certificates to the participants in the National Film Competition and screenings of four films directed by women from Gaza: “The Newsroom” by Malak Abu Ouda, “The Window” by Ilham Abu Qus, “What Remains of Color” by Iman Al-Jabari, and “I Left to Return” by Abeer Al-Ghussein. The screenings were followed by the announcement and presentation of the awards.
In the National Short Film Competition, “Remnants of Light” by Hanadi Abu Salah won the Golden Orange Award, while “The Window” by Ilham Abu Qus received the Silver Orange Award. The Bronze Orange Award went to “Beyond Silence” by Raghda Al-Buhairi, and the Special Jury Award was presented to “The Newsroom” by Malak Abu Ouda.
In the international film competitions, “Unite for Bissau” by Brazilian filmmaker Yara Lee won the Golden Orange Award for Best Short Documentary, while the Special Jury Award went to “Weave” by Bayan Abu Taima from Jordan–Palestine.
In the Feature Documentary Competition, “Samar Before the Last Picture” by Egyptian filmmaker Ayatallah Youssef won the Golden Orange Award. The Silver Orange Award went to “Il Canto di Scilla” by Italian filmmaker Marcel Piccanini, while “Heavier Than Life” by Palestinian filmmaker Mustafa Al-Nabih received the Bronze Orange Award.
In the Short Fiction Film Competition, “The Miracle of Life” by Sabreen Khoury from Palestine–Belgium won the Golden Orange Award, while the Special Jury Award was presented to “28 Days Left” by Yasmin Al-Najjar from Finland.
In the Feature Fiction Film Competition, “A Sky Without Land” by Tunisian filmmaker Erige Sehiri won the Golden Orange Award. The Silver Orange Award went to “Hadda” by Algerian filmmaker Ahmed Riad, while “Burning Heads” by Maya Ajmi Zalama from Tunisia–Belgium received the Bronze Orange Award.
Safaa Gharbaoui won the Best Actress Award for her performance in “Burning Heads” from Tunisia. The Best Screenplay Award went to Suzannah Mirghani for “Cotton Queen” from Sudan, while Farida Marzouk received the Best Cinematography Award for “A Sky Without Land” from Tunisia.
In the Special Screenplay Awards, “Remnants of a Voice” by Palestinian screenwriter Fatima Al-Jabari won first place for Best Short Screenplay, while “Guardians of the Text” by Jordanian screenwriter Iyad Al-Rimouni received second place. The Best Feature-Length Screenplay Award went to “Dalal’s Ghost” by Palestinian screenwriter Yaqoub Abu Al-Ata.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Shalh officially declared the second edition of the Gaza International Festival for Women’s Cinema closed, expressing hope that the festival would return for its third edition in a time when freedom and independence prevail.
