The Gaza Cinema Academy was unveiled at the Venice Film Festival on Monday, presenting film education as a cultural lifeline amid the territory’s ongoing humanitarian emergency. Backers say the effort aims to create a lasting space for training, production and storytelling inside the Gaza Strip at a moment when local voices are urgently needed on the global stage.
Who is behind the academy
The initiative is led by Palestinian filmmakers Ezzaldeen Shalh and Mai Masri. Shalh — a Gaza-based director and film scholar known for several documentary and narrative projects and for founding a women’s film festival in Gaza — will oversee much of the teaching and on-the-ground work. Masri, an established Palestinian filmmaker whose 2015 feature won international attention, brings decades of experience in festival circuits and festival strategy.
A short film screened alongside the announcement showed Shalh in a Gaza classroom with aspiring female filmmakers discussing their ambitions to bring local stories to screens beyond the Strip. Organizers say this visual vignette was chosen to demonstrate the academy’s practical focus: teaching, mentoring and hands-on production.
What the academy will do
The program builds on work begun in 2024 with the development of a nine-month training called the Gaza Filmmaking Diploma. That course, combining theory and practical workshops, enrolled its first cohort — 25 young Palestinian women — in March 2026.
- Practical training: camera, sound, editing and screenwriting modules taught locally.
- Production support: small-scale film projects to give graduates real credits and festival-ready work.
- Academic pathway: a proposed degree to be accredited through Al-Quds Open University.
- International partnerships: exchanges with festivals, funds and production companies for distribution and mentorship.
Planners expect the accredited degree to create a sustained academic route for film studies in Gaza, rather than ad hoc short courses. That formal recognition would allow graduates to move into professional roles and make their work more visible in global markets and festivals.
International support and visibility
The academy has drawn endorsements from prominent figures in Palestinian and regional cinema, including Annemarie Jacir, Hiam Abbass and Saleh Bakri. Other supporters named at the Venice announcement include Egyptian comedian and filmmaker Ramy Youssef; Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, currently serving on the Venice jury; Italian producer Graziella Bildesheim; and Cairo-based film promoter Alaa Karkouti.
Organizers framed the Venice moment as strategic: announcing the project where festivals, distributors and funders are present boosts the academy’s chance of securing technical assistance, mentorship and festival slots for student work.
Why this matters now
Film training inside Gaza has implications beyond culture. Backers say it preserves personal and collective memory, provides professional pathways for young people — especially women — and creates a channel for stories that might otherwise be lost amid conflict and displacement.
At the same time, the project confronts tangible challenges: limited equipment, restrictions on movement, and the need for sustained funding and institutional partnerships. Academy leaders have publicly invited film schools, festivals, production companies and cultural bodies around the world to share expertise, provide resources and open professional opportunities for graduates.
“Our aim is for young people in Gaza to learn the craft, tell their own stories and have those films seen beyond our borders,” Shalh said at the announcement, calling for international collaboration to make that possible.
Next steps and outlook
In practical terms, the academy will continue running and expanding the diploma program while pursuing formal accreditation with Al-Quds Open University. Planners say building sustained ties with the international film community will be essential to scaling production capacity and securing distribution pathways for student films.
For audiences and cultural institutions, the Gaza Cinema Academy is being presented as more than a training center: it is a bid to keep a record of lived experience, to open career routes inside Gaza, and to introduce new Palestinian voices to global screens at a time when such perspectives are acutely important.
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Hello, I’m Declan. I share my film reviews and discoveries with you to enrich your moviegoing experience.