Palestinian feature film Gaza 13, directed by Hossam Abu Dan, has been selected for the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, where it is screening in the 51st edition, which began on September 10 and runs through September 20, with nearly 300 films taking part. The film follows Raghd, a 13-year-old girl who has no one left but her father, as she comes of age amid loss and harsh conditions in the Gaza Strip.
War reshapes the dreams of Gaza’s residents
The film focuses on the war’s impact on residents’ dreams and life paths through the experience of a girl who finds herself without a mother or family. Abu Dan said the film does not show war, bombardment and destruction directly, but addresses their effects on society and on people who once had lives and dreams.
He described the participation of a film from Gaza in the Toronto festival as a source of pride for Palestinians and filmmakers, and an opportunity to keep what happened in the Gaza Strip present before the world. The director said he chose drama because it can offer deeper human details than news coverage and documentaries.
Filming amid bombardment and limited resources
He described the completion of a drama production from Gaza after a long interruption as the fulfilment of a dream, despite the film being made with basic resources compared with the equipment and large crews required by the film industry. The team faced changing conditions during filming, as it was impossible to guarantee that locations would remain available or that actors would be present from one day to the next because of the war and bombardment.
Post-production lasted longer because of problems with electricity, equipment and technical requirements. The current edition of the Toronto festival opened its screenings with To Be Human, directed by Sian Heder, which revisits the life of the late American disability rights activist Judy Heumann.
The films taking part in the festival are seeking to attract audiences and distribution companies and secure an early position in the Oscar race.
