Gaza Cinema Academy makes Venice Film Festival debut to support Palestinian filmmakers

The Gaza Cinema Academy has made its debut at the Venice Film Festival, introducing an initiative aimed at helping aspiring Palestinian filmmakers in Gaza develop their skills and tell their own stories.

Established by filmmaker Ezzaldeen Shalhah and Palestinian director Mai Masri, the academy is intended to provide people in Gaza with opportunities to study filmmaking, gain practical experience and work towards producing their own films.

The initiative comes as Gaza continues to face devastating humanitarian conditions following the escalation of the conflict in October 2023. It places particular emphasis on creating opportunities for young people and women to tell their own stories through cinema.

The project has received backing from Palestinian, Arab and international figures in the film and entertainment industries, including Palestinian actor Hiam Abbass, comedian Ramy Youssef and Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, director of The Voice of Hind Rajab.

According to Variety, Shalhah, who founded the Gaza International Women’s Film Festival and is also a co-founder of the Gaza Cinema Academy, described the significance of cinema in Gaza in a statement. "In Gaza, cinema is not merely an art form; it is a means of preserving memory, reclaiming our right to shape our own image, and giving a new generation the tools to tell its own story," he said.

Shalhah also outlined what he hopes the academy will offer to its participants and the wider international film community.

"We want the Academy to open a window for young people and women in Gaza to learn, create and make their own films, and for their voices and images to reach the world. We invite our partners in institutions, universities and the international film community to be part of building this space," he said.

Deadline also spoke to Masri, a pioneer of Palestinian cinema whose 2015 feature 3000 Nights premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before screening at festivals around the world.

Speaking about the academy’s purpose, Masri said: "Supporting a new generation of filmmakers in Gaza means giving them a space to express their reality, memory and dreams. We believe that creativity and cinema can empower, preserve human memory, and build bridges that transcend borders," she said.

The academy’s launch builds on the work of the Gaza International Women’s Film Festival, which Shalhah founded. According to Variety, the festival held its first edition from October 26 to 31, 2025, amid the devastation in the Gaza Strip, opening with The Voice of Hind Rajab.

Palestinian cinema is also represented in the Venice Film Festival’s current official programme through two films: Citizen Osama, directed by Ahmed Hassouna, and Conversation With the Sea, directed by Muayad Alayan.

The academy’s Venice debut therefore comes alongside a wider presence for Palestinian filmmakers at one of the world’s major international film festivals, while seeking to create further opportunities for filmmakers working in Gaza.