This collection of narrative, documentary, and experimental shorts captures the essence of Gaza and beyond, as its people struggle to survive through two years of genocide.

Short Film Program

The Miracle of Life

Directed by Sabrine Khoury (Netherlands and Palestine, 2025, 8 min.). Arabic with English subtitles.

A Palestinian mother-to-be in the Netherlands grapples with emotional and physical challenges during pregnancy. Through intimate reflections, she confronts pain, uncertainty, and an identity crisis while wrestling with her privilege and guilt over living in safety as her people suffer unimaginable devastation in Gaza.

Vibrations From Gaza

Directed by Rehab Nazzal (Canada and Palestine, 2024, 16 min.). Arabic with English subtitles.

Deaf children in the besieged Gaza Strip describe how they sense bombings, destruction, and drones through vibrations in the air and ground. This haunting short raises urgent questions about whether the children’s deafness stems from natural causes—or from Israel’s use of heavy and sonic weaponry.

On Fire

Directed by Lynn Najem (Lebanon, 2025, 11 min.). Arabic with English subtitles.

In her village in southern Lebanon, 60-year-old Shadia lives alone. When Israel threatens to bomb the area, her attempt to calm herself with a simple cup of coffee turns into a harrowing decision: stay and risk everything, or leave her home behind.

Severed

Directed by Jen Marlowe (US and Palestine, 2025, 27 min.).

Severed tells the story of Mohamad Saleh, an 18-year-old from Gaza who has lived through five major assaults on the Gaza Strip. In those attacks, he lost his home, family members, his best friends, and, at the age of 12, his leg. Now living in exile in Egypt, Mohamad struggles to piece together the shattered fragments of his life. Through his eyes, the pain and trauma endured by thousands in Gaza are laid bare, alongside their remarkable strength, resilience, and determination to live.

The Odds of Survival

Directed by Amir Hossien Nowruzi (Syria, 2025, 28 min.). Arabic with English subtitles.

In Gaza, a man makes the heartbreaking choice to split his children between households with his brother—believing that dividing them increases their chance of survival under relentless Israeli bombardment. But which of his children should he send away, and can any choice truly be the right one?