Rome – During the event “Cinema and Women as Resistance Beyond Silence”, held at Palazzo Merulana in Rome as part of the Visionarie program curated and directed by Giuliana Aliberti, Palestinian filmmaker Dr. Ezzedeen Shallah, founder and director of the Gaza International Women’s Film Festival, was honored with the Karama Award.
The organizers stated that the Karama Award, associated with the Gaza International Women’s Film Festival, is presented in recognition of outstanding contributions to defending human dignity, preserving collective memory, and building bridges between cinema and justice in contexts marked by oppression and imposed silence.
The event brought together a distinguished group of cinematic and cultural figures, including Muna Abu Amara, Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Italy, and Benedetta Caponi of I Wonder Pictures, during whose presentation excerpts from the film “The Voice of Hind Rajab” were screened. Also participating were Graziella Bildesheim, President of the EWA Network, and filmmaker Monica Maurer, who presented clips from her film “Shooting Revolution.”
The gathering also featured Palestinian director Najwa Najjar, historian and writer Paola Caridi, filmmaker Wilma Labate, Milena Fiore, representing the Through Their Lenses project of AAMOD, and screenwriter Silvia Scola. The discussion was moderated by journalist Gabriella Gallozzi.
The event included a recorded video message from Dr. Ezzedeen Shallah, who expressed his gratitude for the honor, emphasizing that the award is a tribute to the women of Gaza and to Palestinian women filmmakers. He described it as a message of determination to continue cultural work as a form of resistance and a means of preserving memory.
