Real to Reel: Gaza + discussion 
This elegantly shot and masterfully crafted portrait of Palestinian life from 2019 offers a rare chance to be immersed in the heart of Gaza before the current escalation, as we glimpse behind the walls of this misunderstood land to get to know real people who inhabit it.
Facing the serene Mediterranean Sea, 17-year-old Karma Khaial stands at the water’s edge and senses freedom. But in Gaza, the sea is yet another wall restricting the lives and dreams of its inhabitants. Inside a Gaza City taxi, we meet a teacher, a student, and a barber, who all share their dreams and daily predicaments with the driver, Ahmed, using surprising humour and candor. Ahmed could take them anywhere—except that a decade-old blockade makes it nearly impossible to leave the enclave.
Like its people, Gaza’s landscape feels kaleidoscopic: colourful yet pained, fragile yet resilient, ancient while looking to the future. Memory plays heavy on its consciousness. But life moves in cycles in Gaza, and, in spite of everything, joy and humanity can be found in every corner of this mosaic of life.
The screening will be followed by a discussion led by Dr Jonathan G. Heaney, Lecturer in Sociology, School of Social Sciences, Education, and Social Work.
Real to Reel: Film and Social Life is a regular sociological cinema series presented in collaboration with the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen’s University.
