Amid the devastation of Israel's genocidal war, mass displacement and starvation, Gaza is hosting the second edition of the International Festival for Women's Cinema.
Running from 26 to 31 October 2026, the festival brings film screenings to the tents of displaced Palestinians, affirming the importance of Palestinian women's stories, culture, and creativity even as Israel's war continues to shape their everyday lives.
The festival was first held in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, from 26 to 31 October 2025, coinciding with Palestinian Women's National Day.
Through the event, organisers hope to show that Palestinians can continue to create art and tell their stories despite the devastation of Israel's genocidal war.
"We want to prove that the people of Palestine are still able to create beauty and life, even while they are living in tents under immense pressure and pain," Ezzeddin Shalh, the festival's founder and president, told The New Arab.
The decision to hold the festival comes amid widespread displacement, documented malnutrition and the loss of loved ones as Israel's brutal war on the besieged enclave continues.
The Final Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment reported that more than 1.9 million people had experienced internal displacement, while more than 1.2 million Palestinians had been left without homes.
The destruction has also affected Gaza's economy. The Report on UNCTAD assistance to the Palestinian people: Developments in the economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory states that 92% of Gaza's economic establishments had been damaged or destroyed by Israeli forces.
A red carpet amid the ruins
Despite these conditions, Ezzeddin said the scale of the destruction had strengthened the organisers' determination to hold the festival.
Asked what motivated them to go ahead with the event, he said Gaza should not be defined solely by the devastation.
"Gaza should not be limited to wars, death and destruction. This was the main motivation," Ezzeddin said.
"We are people with lives, culture, art and stories to tell. The scale of the destruction and genocide we have experienced in Gaza has made us feel more responsible for taking meaningful action, not less," he added.
For Ezzeddin, that meant going ahead with the Gaza International Festival for Women's Cinema rather than waiting for conditions to improve.
He explained, "We could say that conditions are difficult and that holding a festival is out of reach. But that raises the question: if we keep waiting for normal conditions, will they ever come? And if they do, when?"
But Ezzeddin does not ignore the reality on the ground, stating that the event was not an attempt to ignore the suffering in Gaza, but a way to preserve Palestinian voices and memories.
"We are not hosting a festival because we are disconnected from reality, but because it is part of life. Culture for us is a form of survival and a way of preserving Palestinians' voices and memories," he told The New Arab.
That belief also shows in the decision to keep the red carpet, a familiar feature of international film festivals, despite the conditions under which this edition will take place.
"We want to have a red carpet so that people, despite their suffering, can experience what it feels like to attend an international film festival. The red carpet is an essential part of the festival's atmosphere and identity," Ezzeddin said.
But unlike a conventional international film event, with its celebrities, press coverage, cameras and sense of celebration, the festival's screenings and activities will take place among the tents of displaced Palestinians and damaged buildings, rather than in a cinema or prestigious theatre.
The organisers also recognise that attending a festival may not be a priority for people dealing with displacement, loss and psychological distress.
Ezzeddin said they were not asking people to put their suffering aside to take part.
"We are fully aware of the psychological difficulties people are facing. We are not asking them to forget the pain, loss and suffering they have endured to attend the festival," he said.
"That is why we will screen the films among the tents, bringing cinema closer to people and their everyday lives."
A platform for Gaza's women
By bringing screenings closer to displaced communities, the festival aims to make cinema accessible to people living through Israel's war.
For Gaza's residents, cinema also preserves memories and identity, lets them express themselves, and helps them share their stories.
As Ezzeddin explained, organising an international film festival in Gaza was far less difficult before Israel's war. The current circumstances have changed what is possible.
"Everything has changed. Three years ago, we could have imagined hosting an international film festival where the main challenge would have been organising an event to welcome and celebrate filmmakers and their films," he said.
Today, the organisers face practical difficulties, including power cuts, poor internet connections, mental health struggles among the population and a scarcity of resources.
"The festival relies mainly on voluntary efforts and contributions from individuals and the community. We are doing our best to make use of the limited resources available to organise the festival," Ezzeddin added.
Despite these challenges, the festival has attracted submissions from dozens of filmmakers worldwide. The women-centred event selected 73 films from 24 countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland, the Netherlands, India, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, among others.
Ezzeddin said the organisers had selected films that reflected the festival's purpose and message.
"We tried to select the 73 films that reflect the festival's identity and message," he shared.
The selected films focus on women's experiences in Gaza, with this year's edition taking the slogan Women Creating Life From Death to highlight their efforts to sustain life despite Israel's war.
"It was chosen to highlight the reality facing women in Gaza and their determination to keep going and sustain life despite the war," Ezzeddin said.
"We see women who have lost their homes and loved ones and are living in tents, yet they still wake up every day to provide for their children and families, even in the face of death."
Alongside screening films about women's experiences, the festival aims to give women in Gaza the opportunity to tell their own stories through filmmaking.
Ezzeddin said 25 women from Gaza had already been selected and trained to produce films about their lives and communities.
The films premiered on the festival's opening day, and organisers also plan to continue supporting local filmmakers through the Gaza Cinema Academy after the festival ends.
Ultimately, the festival aims to show that Palestinians are not merely subjects of the world's gaze, but storytellers who can tell their own stories through their own lens.
Rabie Jan is a Syrian student, writer and actor. He is also an ambassador for the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth and served as a junior juror in its 2023 edition