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| Palestinian filmmaker Hossam Abu Dan’s Thirteen in Gaza wins the NETPAC Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. |
The life of Raghad, a 13-year-old girl growing up in Gaza amid war and displacement, is portrayed in Palestinian filmmaker Hossam Abu Dan’s film “Thirteen in Gaza.” The film won the NETPAC Award on the final day of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
The 11-day festival featured 294 films from 72 countries. A total of 12 awards were announced on the closing day. Among them, the NETPAC win for “Thirteen in Gaza,” which tells a story from Gaza, emerged as one of the notable achievements of the festival.
Raghad’s Life in a Displacement Camp in Gaza
“Thirteen in Gaza” is Hossam Abu Dan’s first narrative feature film. The 77-minute film centers on Raghad, a 13-year-old girl living with her father in a displacement camp in Gaza.
As Raghad enters adolescence, she faces both the physical and emotional changes of growing up and the insecurity and lack of personal space created by war and displacement. Through her experiences, the film portrays the challenges of a young girl coming of age amid conflict.
The film was made entirely in Gaza with local Palestinian actors and crew members. Its world premiere took place in the Centrepiece section of the Toronto International Film Festival.
Praise from the Jury
The NETPAC jury said the film does not present the suffering of the people of Gaza merely as a spectacle or an image of victimhood. Instead, it explores the complexity of human life and experience amid the realities of war.
The jury described the film as a courageous and intimate work and welcomed Hossam Abu Dan as an important new voice in cinema.
NETPAC, or the Network for the Promotion of Asian Pacific Cinema, presents awards to filmmakers for their first or second feature films from the Asia-Pacific region. This year’s jury was chaired by Mara Matta, Associate Professor of South Asian Studies at Sapienza University of Rome. She was joined by artist and writer Richard Fung and film critic Panayiotis Kotzathanasis.
After receiving the award, Hossam Abu Dan said that being able to bring a voice from Gaza to an international audience was a source of deep pride. He also said that he was grateful to share a human story with the world from among the many painful experiences of Gaza.
“La Bola Negra” Wins the Audience Award
The main People’s Choice Award at the Toronto festival went to Spanish filmmakers Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi for “La Bola Negra.” Selected through audience voting, the award is one of TIFF’s major recognitions.
The film spans three periods—1932, 1937 and 2017—and connects the lives, love, desires and struggles of three men in Spain.
Peter Farrelly’s “I Play Rocky” was named first runner-up, while “Being Heumann” by Shana Heder was the second runner-up for the People’s Choice Award.
India’s “Angh” Wins Platform Prize
Indian filmmaker Theja Rio’s “Angh” received the Platform Prize at this year’s festival. The film is set in a village near the India-Myanmar border in Nagaland and focuses on the village’s last surviving chief. Most of the dialogue in the film is spoken in the Konyak language.
Theja Rio said one of his main goals was to bring the stories and voices of his homeland and community to a wider audience. He described receiving an award in Toronto for the film as a dream come true.
Other Awards
Cody Lightning’s “Smudge the Blades” received the Best Canadian Discovery Award. While accepting the award, Lightning became emotional as he remembered his late mother, filmmaker Georgina Lightning.
Surveil Poble’s “Sunburn” won Best Canadian Feature Film, while Simon Stone’s “Elsinore” received the International People’s Choice Award. In the documentary category, audiences selected Barry Avrich’s “Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been” as their favorite.
Meanwhile, Matthew Rankin’s “Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney” won the People’s Choice Award in the Midnight Madness section, while Irish filmmaker David Turpin’s “Ancestors” received the FIPRESCI Prize.
294 Films Screened Over 11 Days
The 51st Toronto International Film Festival ran for 11 days and screened 294 films from 72 countries. More than 800 artists and filmmakers participated in 98 red-carpet events. Around 2,000 accredited media professionals attended the festival, while 279 directors from around the world took part.
Film screenings continued on the final day after the awards were announced. Special free screenings of the People’s Choice Award-winning films were also arranged for audiences.
The NETPAC Award for “Thirteen in Gaza,” a film centered on the personal life of a teenage girl growing up amid war and displacement in Gaza, became a notable moment at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, bringing a deeply human story from Gaza to the international cinematic stage.
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Source: Collected from various sources for public awareness and knowledge.
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