Gaza Strip

James Longely’s “Gaza Strip” documents the lives of Palestinians living inside the cramped Israeli territory. Filmed in the context of the second Intifada in September 2000 and prior to the election of far rightwing Likud leader Ariel Sharon, what follows is a narrative loosely based around the 13 year old Mohammed Hejazzi. Mohammed’s education was short lived due to the dependency on him as sole provider for his household. The loss of childhood innocence is captured by powerful scenes of the boy hurling stones at the surrounding Israeli occupied territories following the death of his close friend by Israeli gunfire. Through Mohammed’s eyes are seen the crowding caused by illegal Israeli settlements, the use of neurological gas against civilians, the fallout caused by unexploded artillery, the constant influx of ambulance vehicles and hospital queues. Much of “Gaza Strip” unfolds through gripping and powerful images without the use of lengthy interviews or a political dialogue, but rather startling audiovisual bites of the daily struggle within Gaza. Perhaps the most moving and disturbing moment in “Gaza” is the admission of an infant child contemplating the life of a martyr. “Gaza Strip” is Longley’s first feature. In Arabic with English subtitles.