ItalianoOnce upon a Time in Gaza
25 October 15:00
Teatro Studio Gianni Borgna
Pub Acc
Festa del cinema
Synopsis
Gaza, 2007. Yahya, a young student, forges a friendship with Osama, a charismatic restaurant owner with a big heart. Together, they start peddling drugs while delivering falafel sandwiches, but they are soon forced to grapple with a corrupt cop and his oversized ego…
COMMENTARY
Despite the flood of pictures of the siege on Gaza, the Gazans’ lives and the imagination remain invisible. Arab and Tarzan Nasser bring them to the screen by mixing the revenge thriller and urban western with satire and news stories, and reconstructing Gaza City’s present and past as we will never see them again. In this courageous film, the Nasser brothers ponder the question of who controls images, legends, and martyrdom and never resort to trauma porn in the process.
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
We chose the film’s title because it captures the nature of life in Gaza: one that lacks stability, continuity, and safety. Nothing is guaranteed there. Yesterday’s events, whether joyful or painful, can become mere memories the next day. Our entire history could be erased in an instant, in this war of annihilation that is ongoing.
Director
Tarzan & Arab Nasser
Twin brothers Tarzan and Arab Nasser were born in Gaza in 1988 and started their filmmaking careers with their Cannes-selected short Condom Lead. Their first feature film, Dégradé, was presented at Cannes in 2015 in the International Critics’ Week. Their second feature, Gaza Mon Amour, premiered at Venice in 2020 in the Orizzonti section.