Unable to work on film sets, Gaza journalist and photographer Osama Al-Ashi undertakes the vital political act of documenting the reality of life in Gaza through raw, too-often violent, on-the-ground images of destruction, death, famine and the lack of basic necessities. In a territory where Israel prevents international press access, Osama feels the burden of the word “PRESS” on his bulletproof vest grow heavier each time he mourns the death of a colleague targeted by the Israeli army. In this climate, giving birth also emerges as an act of resistance—life as a means of resisting genocide. Osama and his partner’s newborn shines like a true beacon amid the horrors he witnesses daily, helping him stay the course and reminding him that resilience and hope are as bright as the beauty of those who nurture them. (OM)

Quebec Premiere

Citizen Osama