Florence, Italy – On the opening day of its 66th edition, the Festival dei Popoli – International Documentary Film Festival in Florence, Italy, awarded the “Sumud Award” to Palestinian filmmaker Dr. Ezzedeen Shallah, founder and president of the Gaza International Women’s Cinema Festival (GIFWC), in recognition of his role in establishing cinema as a space for resistance and creativity in Gaza amid the difficult circumstances faced by the Palestinian people.
Festival dei Popoli is considered Italy’s most important international documentary film festival and the oldest documentary film festival in Europe. Dr. Ezzedeen Shallah is a filmmaker, researcher, and cultural organizer from Gaza. He holds a PhD in Cinema from Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Morocco and has worked in the field of cinema for over 30 years. He is also the founder and president of the Jerusalem International Film Festival and president of the International Federation of Arab Film Festivals.
The “Sumud Award” was received on his behalf by Milena Fiore from the festival’s Managing Director Claudia Maci and Artistic Director Alessandro Stellino. The award is part of an international solidarity network supporting Palestinian creators, involving numerous cultural institutions from Europe and the Arab world, including the Florence International Women’s Film Festival, the European Women’s Audiovisual Network (EWA), and the 100 Authors Association.
The opening ceremony took place on Monday evening at Cinema La Compagnia, attended by Palestinian filmmaker Kamal Aljafari, whose film “With Hassan in Gaza” had its Italian premiere during the festival.
The festival will continue until 9 November as part of the “50 Days of Cinema in Florence” initiative, supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, the Italian Ministry of Culture, and the Municipality of Florence. A selection of films will also be available online through the Mymovies ONE platform, where audiences will vote to award the highest-rated film.
