It’s the constant protruding buzz of the oppressors above that linger throughout each moment. Living each day with the fear of death every nightfall. I weep for those unable to finish their stories, the dreams snuffed out without a thought. Those just begging for help in a world that is only watching and not acting. The privilege that I take to be able to leave the theater I watched this in and comfortably go home. That I can spend the…

22 Palestinian short films. 22 Palestinian stories. 22 Palestinian voices. 

A collaboration of not just people, but also of art. A puppet show. A story told with construction paper. A song and dance. A voicemail from a loved one. A message in a bottle. A film cut short. 

From Ground Zero is a reminder of how powerful art can be— not just illuminating Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestine, but also as a tool to amplify Palestinian voices.

Since this is Letterboxd,…

Endlessly lucky we got to screen this excellent film last night at the Garfield alongside the Cincinnati Palestine Solidarity Coalition. Over 110 people came out, and the conversation after led by Mike Madanat was genuinely moving and beautiful.

If No Other Land showed the disturbing aggression and oppression Palestinian’s face, From Ground Zero shows the humanity and day to day lives of Palestinians. Yes this is a short film anthology, but each film, unique in medium, style and voice, offers up different…

I find it impossible to “rate” this, because the fact that 22 directors were able to make short films while living in Gaza during a genocide is simply miraculous and beyond any measure or “critique” - these exist; that’s important, and enough. The fact that we get to see them, that many of them are REALLY good, and that the collection here is SO varied in tone and style… This is impressive and (dare I say) important viewing. This is pure…

Found that I much preferred the documentary shorts to the fiction sections in here, yet I can't help but find myself impressed by what this collective represents. It feels like the collective population of Gaza trying to show art that represents their struggle to survival - and they're all very talented artists at that. While watching From Ground Zero, I can't help but find myself completely taken aback by the ways in which said artists are using their work as…

22 short films, each from a different Palestinian director displaced by the genocide currently underway in Gaza, compose the entirety of From Ground Zero. One of these earlier shorts, entitled "Sorry Cinema," comes from Ahmad Hassouna; the only director involved with any prior filmmaking credits, Hassouna's strikes as a particularly haunting short in its direct citation of his past experience as a storyteller against the horrors he currently faces despite the realities those past stories have highlighted. What, Hassouna asks,…

this was palestine’s submission for best international film and luckily it made the shortlist👍🏻👍🏻would be a very deserving nominee but i’ll definitely be feeling like there was a snub on nominations morning no matter what. really hoping that either this or flow can find their way in

usually when i watch an anthology i give ratings out to each short but uhhhhhhh, this was 22 short films, that would be a bit excessive, i wouldn’t even be able to accurately…