Efforts to Highlight the Scale of Destruction in Gaza
Gaza – Gaza Cinema Academy
The founders of the Gaza Cinema Academy praised international actress Angelina Jolie for her stand after she shared images and information highlighting the scale of destruction in the Gaza Strip and called on the world to look closely at what has happened, work to deliver humanitarian aid, provide shelter, and rebuild what has been destroyed by the war. They stressed the importance of artists and influential figures around the world continuing to use their voices and public presence to keep Gaza and the suffering of its people in the attention of the international public.
Jolie had shared satellite images on her Instagram account showing areas of the Gaza Strip before and after the destruction. She encouraged her followers to use Google Earth to see the extent of the changes across the Strip and pointed to the destruction affecting neighborhoods, homes, schools, universities, hospitals, roads, water networks, and sewage systems.
Dr. Ezzaldeen Shalh, co-founder of the Gaza Cinema Academy, said: “We deeply appreciate Angelina Jolie’s stand and her use of her global presence to draw the attention of millions to the scale of what Gaza has endured. For those of us living here, these images do not simply show destroyed buildings and streets. They represent lives that have been completely transformed, homes people have lost, and memories and places to which they have been connected for many years. The fact that these images are reaching a wide audience helps convey part of the reality experienced by the people of Gaza to the world.”
Filmmaker and producer Mai Masri, co-founder of the Gaza Cinema Academy, said: “Angelina Jolie’s stand reflects the important role that artists and influential figures around the world can play when they lend their presence and voices to humanitarian causes. Art cannot be separated from humanity, and our responsibility as filmmakers is to keep people and their stories at the heart of the narrative and to enable the voices of those who have lived through this experience to reach the world with honesty and dignity.”
The founders of the Gaza Cinema Academy — Dr. Ezzaldeen Shalh, filmmaker and producer Mai Masri, filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, filmmaker Annemarie Jacir, actor Saleh Bakri, actor Ramy Youssef, actress Hiam Abbass, producer Alaa Karkouti, and producer Graziella Bildesheim — stressed that the coming period requires international attention that goes beyond humanitarian needs and physical reconstruction to include rebuilding cultural and artistic institutions and spaces and creating genuine opportunities for young people in Gaza to learn, create, and work.
The founders noted that the establishment of the Gaza Cinema Academy comes within this context by investing in Palestinian people and in a new generation equipped with the knowledge and professional tools needed to make their own films, build their future, and participate in cultural and cinematic life locally and internationally. They stressed that culture and the arts must be part of the process of restoring life in Gaza rather than something postponed until after reconstruction.
