NUFF - GAZA COLLABORATION

In collaboration with TVIBIT and Tamer Institute in Palestine NUFF is reinstalling a film workshop group in Gaza. Due to the Israeli occupation in Palestine and in particular the isolated situation of Gaza young filmmakers from Gaza cannot easily travel to Europe and join our festival, participate in our workshops and meet other young filmmakers from all over the world. Therefor we joined forces with our partners from Tamer Institute in Gaza. There will be a group of eight young filmmakers from Gaza simultaneously working under the same rules like at NUFF making a short film from the idea to the finish film in six days mentored by a professional. The result will be screened together with the other workshop films at the opening of NUFF and in the same time the NUFF films produced in Tromsø will be shown in Gaza.

Sami Al-Haw (Gaza-mentor)
Filmmaker / Gaza, Palestine

 Sami has 10 years of experience as an artist, filmmaker, and communications and media specialist with the Gazan private sector, Italian and British non-governmental organizations and the United Nations. With the UN in Gaza Sami designed and implemented large scale children’s programs including a flagship summer recreational program for 250,000 children, giving children a rare opportunity to simply play and learn in a non-politicised environment. With UNRWA TV, Sami produced and directed Gaza’s first ever child drama series, called “The Neighbourhood” where children in refugee camps were confronted with difficult choices and learned how to make the best one. His desire to help children in refugee camps through art and media stems from his own childhood as a refugee in Jabalyia camp in northern Gaza. From the age of 16 he participated in art and film exhibitions and drama, eventually teaching these same art forms to other kids in the camp. For the last 10 years, Sami and the other 2 million people in Gaza have lived under a blockade, which restricts the movement of people and goods. Despite the complexities of life under blockade, Sami’s hope for better days is growing. Sami has a BA in Art Education from Al-Aqsa University in Gaza. He lives in Gaza with his wife and daughter Lynn (6), and sons Abood (3) and Zain (1).