By Bhargav Acharya and Meriam Telhig
TORONTO, Sept 16 (Reuters) – A Palestinian drama filmed entirely in Gaza aims to show the world the everyday struggles of Palestinians, filmmaker Hosam Abu Dan said.
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“Thirteen in Gaza,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday, tells the story of Raghad, a 13-year-old girl who has just entered puberty, as she navigates life with her father in the Gaza Strip, struggling to find a safe space for her confusion and desperate for care and support.
Director Abu Dan said it was important for him to tell a story from the perspective of someone who lived in Gaza.
“I used to always say that people could always tell your story, but when you tell it your way, in your own language, it’s different. That is something that’s very important,” he told Reuters in an interview.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israel’s military assault that has left much of the enclave in ruins, caused a hunger crisis and internally displaced Gaza’s entire population.
The war was triggered by Palestinian militant group Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians.
The Palestinian director said the filming took 12 days and relied on a small crew due to logistical constraints.
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“Usually, a film crew is quite large, but we deliberately kept ours very small so we could all fit into a single car and move around easily,” he said.
Abu Dan, who spoke to Reuters from his home in Gaza, was unable to travel to Toronto for the festival as movement remains restricted for international travel.
While he wished he could be there in person to celebrate the film, he said he was proud of making a film that was meaningful.
“Many people may assume that Gaza has nothing left to offer, so we have to keep reminding them: no, we deserve life, we have dreams, and we have everything. What we truly want is to live normal lives, just like everyone else in the world.”
(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya and Meriam Telhig in Toronto; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
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