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Review: ‘From Ground Zero’ Represents A Monumental Achievement For Palestinian Cinema
Much more than a cry for help, 22 Palestinian filmmakers display their resilience in the face of annihilation
Watching From Ground Zero in an AMC Theatre was an astonishing and moving experience, partly due to the subject matter but also because it is extraordinarily rare for an anthology of independent films to be screened by a corporate theatre chain. That 70 AMC locations in the United States booked the film is a monumental achievement for Palestinian filmmaking.
Palestinian producer Rashid Masharawi brought together 22 Palestinian filmmakers in Gaza to share their own personal stories of life during war. Each three to six minute film employs various styles — drama, documentary, experimental, animation, or puppetry.
Watermelon Pictures, a Palestinian-owned independent film distribution company that formed in April 2024, was responsible for bringing the film to AMC theatres and various arthouse cinemas in the U.S. At the end of December, Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore signed on as an executive producer in December and gave a boost to the anthology.
None of the films are news documentaries. They are not particularly political or activist in nature. In fact, it is hard…
