ARABIAN SIGHTS

Once Upon a Time in Gaza

ARAB NASSER, TARZAN NASSER
Palestine, France, Portugal, Germany, 2025
90 minutes, Color

In 2007 Gaza, Yahya works at his friend's falafel shop—a storefront that secretly doubles as a hub for drug dealing. Drawn into the operation, he witnesses a brutal crime that will haunt him for years. Years later, Yahya is selected to star in a TV series celebrating martyrs and heroes of the resistance. As tensions simmer and conflict looms, the line between performance and reality begins to blur—especially when Yahya is unexpectedly handed real weapons. Suddenly, he is faced with a dangerous opportunity to confront the man responsible for the violence that altered the course of his life. Winners of the Best Director award in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, twin Palestinian filmmakers Tarzan and Arab Nasser craft a bold fusion of dark comedy and political satire, delivering a searing critique of the cycles of violence that shape personal and political life in Gaza.—Various sources

In Arabic with English subtitles