Gaza Film School
Stories about us — cannot be told without us.
If there is no school building — we build a digital school.
If international educators cannot come to Gaza — we bring them online.
If young people cannot leave to study film — we bring film education to them.
In the context of urgency that Gaza lives, where survival and daily challenges intersect with the vital need for expression and identity preservation, cinema emerges as an artistic and cultural tool capable of preserving collective memory — and opening windows to the future in the midst of confinement and erasure.
Our Goals
Access to Film Education
Bring professional filmmaking knowledge to young people in Gaza — regardless of whether they can reach a physical school.
Empower Storytellers
Train not passive viewers but active narrators who can translate their experiences and dreams into cinematic language.
Connect Gaza to the World
Bring international filmmakers, directors, and educators online — building an international learning network despite physical separation.
Learning by Making Films
Practical assignments at every step: write a scene, film a documentary observation, record sound, edit a sequence, develop a short film.
Build a New Generation
Create a sustainable foundation for Palestinian film culture — a generation that develops films, enters festivals, and carries Gaza's cinematic voice.
Visibility Beyond Stereotypes
Show that Gaza is more than the images the world usually sees — youth, talent, humor, memory, hope, resilience, and art.
Breaking Walls
In many countries, a film school begins with a building — classrooms, studios, editing suites, a fixed place where students can gather. In Gaza, that is currently barely possible. A traditional school building, with reliable access and stable infrastructure, remains out of reach under present conditions.
Movement is restricted. Infrastructure is damaged. Many young people live under difficult circumstances, and a fixed physical location would simply not be reachable for most. But education cannot wait. Creativity cannot wait. Stories cannot fall silent just because walls, borders, and outer circumstances block the way.
That is exactly why Gaza Film School deliberately chose a digital platform — a school that does not depend on a building, that functions even when roads are blocked, that connects people across distance.
The Founding Committee
The founding committee is established to oversee the creation of the Gaza Film School and to define its intellectual, administrative, and academic foundations. Its role is to ensure the successful launch of the school and support its long-term sustainability. The committee will continue to carry out its responsibilities throughout the transitional phase. It will remain in place until the school's institutional structure is fully established and its permanent governing bodies are formed, in accordance with the future bylaws.
Raed Andoni
Michel Khleifi
Mai Masri
Rashid Masharawi
Hani Abu-Assad
Maher Kaddoura
Academic Committee
An international academic committee providing educational and artistic guidance to the Gaza Film School programs.
Michel Khleifi
Palestine / Belgique
Lamia Gega
Tunisia
Saed Andoni
Palestine / United States
Scandar Copti
Palestine / Abu Dhabi
Khaled Al Hagar
Egypt
Aymeen Jlili
Tunisia
Advisory Committee
International experts providing strategic guidance to the Gaza Film School.
About the Masharawi Fund
The Masharawi Fund is an initiative to support and develop cinema and filmmakers in the Gaza Strip — in a context of war that imposes immense challenges on cultural and artistic production. The fund supports projects at every stage: from development to production and post-production, providing financial grants, technical guidance, and specialized training programs.
"Cinema is not only an artistic medium — it is a tool of cultural resistance, a space to tell stories from within, and to strengthen the presence of Palestinian cinema on the international stage."
From Ground Zero
The Gaza Film School does not stand alone. It grows from a real cinematic movement. With the project From Ground Zero, initiated by Rashid Masharawi, filmmakers from Gaza already proved that cinema can be made even under extremely difficult conditions — short, direct, personal, and powerful.
Those films showed that Gaza is not only a place of suffering, but also a place of voices, perspectives, art, dignity, and creativity.
From Ground Zero was the beginning. The Masharawi Film Fund built the structure. Gaza Film School is the next step.
Our Learning Programs
Full Study Program with Degree
A comprehensive two-year curriculum covering all aspects of filmmaking — directing, screenwriting, cinematography, sound design, and editing. Students develop their own short films under professional mentorship and receive an internationally recognized certificate upon graduation.
Workshops for Beginners
Short, intensive workshops designed for young people with no prior film experience. Participants learn the basics of storytelling, camera work, and editing through hands-on exercises — making their first short film within days.
Training Teachers
A dedicated program for educators who want to bring film education into their schools and communities. Teachers learn how to guide students through cinematic storytelling, using simple tools and accessible methods suited to the conditions in Gaza.
Good Morning Gaza
Good Morning Gaza is the first practical workshop released through the Gaza Film School. The first group of 10 selected participants from Gaza has already been formed.
Through the digital platform, these young filmmakers will work with local coordinators and international mentors to develop, shoot and edit their own short documentary films.
"Learning by making films. Telling Gaza from within."
Become a Friend of Gaza Film School
Join our community of supporters who believe that stories from Gaza deserve to be told — by the people who live them.
Join us to teach the young filmmakers in Gaza to tell their stories through cinema.
Be among the first to hear about our programs and activities.
"Stories about us cannot be told without us."