Fully featured in the sector.. "Gaza 13" wins the "Nittabak" award at the Toronto Film Festival.

Fully filmed in the sector.. "Gaza 13" wins the "Netpac" award at the Toronto Film Festival The Palestinian film "Gaza 13" by director Hussam Abu Dan won the "Netpac" award in the 51st edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, which concluded its activities on Sunday, winning one of the awards given by the festival to Asian and Pacific films. The film, which is entitled "Thirteen in Gaza" in English, is the first feature-length narrative experience for director Abu Dan, and it was entirely filmed inside the Gaza Strip with a local Palestinian crew. It represents the first feature-length film entirely filmed in Gaza in 12 years, according to specialized reports on the film industry. Suggested Stories List of 2 items "Gaza 13" revolves around Raghad, a 13-year-old girl entering adolescence, who lives with her father in one of the displacement camps after their home was destroyed, while trying to cope with the transformations she is going through in the absence of privacy and security, as her father struggles to provide protection and secure the necessities of life. The film was shown for the first time globally as part of the "Centrepiece" program at the Toronto Festival in September, where it presents details of daily life in Gaza from the perspective of a person living inside it, rather than just experiencing the war from the outside. Abu Dan said in an interview with Reuters that the Palestinian narrative is their story, and in the language and way they see fit, it carries special importance. Praise from the Jury The "Netpac" award is given by the network promoting Asian and Pacific cinema, and is dedicated to the best Asian film presented by a director making their first or second narrative experience. The jury praised "Gaza 13", considering that the film transforms suffering into cinematic images of life with its complexities, without turning it into a "spectacle", and described the work as a "brave" film that presents a new cinematic voice. Filming Amidst War Conditions The achievement of the film came under exceptional production conditions, as its team faced difficulties related to displacement, difficulty of movement, power outages, communication disruptions, and shortage of equipment and resources. Abu Dan said that the biggest fears of the team were the inability to complete the filming, amid the constant fear of events that would prevent the completion of the film. The film had obtained worldwide distribution rights before its screening in Toronto, and Watermelon Pictures later announced its acquisition of the rights to screen it in North America, following its participation in the festival. Toronto Festival Awards The 51st edition awards, announced by the festival at the end of its activities, included the main Audience Award which went to the film "La Bola Negra" by directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrosio, the film "Elsinore" by director Simon Stone won the Audience Award for International Films, and the film "Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been" won the Audience Award for Documentary Films. Meanwhile, the "Midnight Madness" award went to the film "Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney". The Indian film "Angh" by director Thuja Riu won the "Platform Prize".