The jury selected the film “for a heartwarming, thought-provoking and poetic tale of unspoken emotions portraying daily life in Gaza”.
Gaza Mon Amour by Palestinian filmmakers Arab and Tarzan Nasser has won the Netpac Award at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, which took place from September 10 to 20.
The Netpac jury composed of Sharofat Arabova (Tajikistan), Latika Padgaonkar (India), and jury chairperson George Chun Han Wang (Hawaii).
The jury selected this film “for a heartwarming, thought-provoking and poetic tale of unspoken emotions portraying daily life in Gaza”.
The film revolves around the present-day Gaza. Sixty-year-old fisherman Issa is secretly in love with Siham, a woman who works as a dressmaker at the market. Finally determined to propose, Issa discovers an ancient statue of Apollo in his fishing net, which he decides to hide at home. When local authorities find out about this mysterious treasure, troubles begin for Issa.
Gaza Mon Amour features an all-star cast, including Salim Daw, Hiam Abbass, Maisa Abdelhadi, Georges Iskandar, Hitham Al Omari, and Manal Awad.
Twins Tarzan and Arab Nasser were born in Gaza, Palestine, in 1988. Their notable works include Condom Lead (15 min, 2013) and Dégradé (85 min, 2014).
