In All Camps and Cities of the Gaza Strip, a Festival Dedicated to Children Under the Slogan: "We Love Life, Tomorrow" from November 20 to December 20, 2025
The Press — In Gaza, where the ruins of war testify to pain and loss, an unprecedented event is about to bring a breath of hope and resilience. From November 20 to December 20, 2025, the Gaza Strip will host the first edition of the Children's Film Festival, an event under the sign of life, art, and hope. With the slogan "We Love Life, Tomorrow," this event promises to be a beacon of light in a region marked by years of suffering.
In a context where Gaza's children have witnessed indescribable violence, this festival aims to be a space for reconstruction, joy, and expression. Far from being just a cultural event, it represents an act of resistance against darkness. It symbolizes the will to tell children that, even in the heart of darkness, there is always room for hope. Cinema, with its unique ability to touch emotions, becomes a powerful tool for healing, offering young spectators a window into a better future.
The festival will offer an unprecedented cinematic experience, allowing thousands of children from different regions of Gaza to discover films from around the world, while participating in a series of creative and artistic activities. This will be more than just a moment of entertainment; it will be a moment of collective and individual healing, a means for these children to regain their confidence in themselves and in the future.
The festival's opening, scheduled for November 20, will take place on the esplanade of the Rachad Al-Shawa Cultural Center, an iconic location in Gaza, symbolizing both the richness of past cultural heritage and the wounds left by recent conflicts. Although the center was destroyed by bombings, its reopening for this event sends a powerful message: that of the rebirth of culture and hope, even after destruction.
The opening ceremony will be marked by an animation show for children, followed by the screening of the French film "The Red Balloon," a masterpiece by Albert Lamorisse. This film, both simple and poetic, perfectly embodies the spirit of the festival: a story of beauty and freedom in the face of adversity.
Rachid Masharawi, founder of the festival, explained: "Our children have seen darkness that no one should know. Through this festival, we tell them and tell the world that art can repair what war has broken, and that there is a tomorrow worth waiting for." For him, giving children the opportunity to draw the sun, to escape through play and art, is more than a creative act: it is an act of resistance. An act of resistance to pain, loss, and war, an act of resistance that celebrates life and hope.
The Gaza Children's Film Festival offers an exceptional program, with over 30 local and international films intended for young audiences. These films have been carefully selected to meet the emotional support and healing needs of children.
In parallel with the screenings, numerous activities will be organized: animation film workshops, theater and drama games, drawing and free expression sessions, and interactive shows and animations. Each activity aims to create a safe space where children can express their emotions, let their imagination run free, and rediscover the joy of creating.
These workshops will also be a means for them to rebuild mentally and emotionally, and to regain confidence in themselves. Moustafa Al-Nabih, the festival's artistic director, specified: "All films and workshops have been chosen with particular attention to respond to the urgent need for psychological support for children. We want each of them to leave with the feeling that a better future awaits them."
This festival is organized by the Masharawi Foundation, in partnership with the Hikmet Palestine program and several local and international cultural institutions. Its objective is clear: to use cinema and art to bring healing, resistance, and hope into the lives of Gaza's children.
The event does not just want to be a simple cultural festival, but a lever to create a dynamic of change, a means to send a strong message to the whole world. Through this festival, Gaza wants to be seen not only as a place of suffering, but also as a place of beauty and creativity.
The closing ceremony, scheduled for December 20, will mark a strong moment: children will participate in the presentation of the artistic works and short films they have created during the workshops. This will be an opportunity to celebrate the creative talents of these children, but also to pay tribute to their courage and resilience.
This festival, as a whole, sends a clear and powerful message: even in places most devastated by war, art and culture can rebuild, elevate, and reconcile. Gaza, despite its suffering, remains a place of life, resistance, and beauty.
Through this event, the whole world will be able to discover, beyond images of destruction, a Gaza that dreams, creates, and imagines a better future. This festival is proof that, even in the darkest moments, hope can be born, and that art is a path to light.
