A DOCUMENTARY film made just months before the Israeli destruction of Gaza will be shown this Sunday in the Conway Mill.
Little did Palestinian film maker Yousef Alhelou realise when he was making the film about his homeland that he was capturing some of the last images of the beauty of Gaza before it was destroyed just months later by Israeli bombings.
After a decade away from home, beginning in 2013 with a fellowship at the Reuters Institute for the study of journalism at Oxford University, Yousef travelled back to Gaza to reconnect with the people and places of his childhood. His intention was to make a documentary film, which would reveal the hidden beauties, joys and treasures of Gaza.
Yousef created extensive reportage of Gaza’s historic buildings, recreational spaces, and beach life; of its olive and fruit groves, and its museums, mosques, churches, restaurants, and shopping malls, as well as capturing rare aerial footage of Gaza.
The footage taken during his two months trip would become some of the final records of the cultural, social and recreational life of the besieged and blockaded enclave prior to its absolute destruction by Israel beginning on October 8 2023.
Growing up a descendant of refugees under Israeli occupation, Yousef's life was shaped by the relentless conflict around him. This environment, harsh as it was, ignited in him a passion for journalism, a tool he hoped to use to share the truths of his homeland.
Life by the sea in Gaza
Yousef's unique and personal records of Gaza in 2023 serve as a valuable archive of the colossal scale of the genocide meted out not only on the lives and homes of Gazans, but also on the civic, historical, cultural and heritage landmarks, recreational sites, resorts, hotels, parks, the beach, as well as all aspects of life.
Selecting material from Yousef’s extensive archive, The Phoenix of Gaza is a personal film. It invites viewers to see Gaza through Yousef's eyes – a place where, despite occupation, blockade and a military onslaught by Israel, Gazans exercise a creativity and resilience, and a beauty that refuses to be extinguished.
Augmented by a reflective interview with Yousef himself The Phoenix of Gaza provides a tragic glimpse of a society soon to be destroyed, and their perspectives in response.
The film demonstrates that Gaza’s residents will not vanish but will rise again.
What was meant to be a documentary about life turned into an eulogy for a city and its people. A people who, despite decades of occupation, blockade and hardship, continue to celebrate life in its fullest expression.
Yousef Alhelou
Yousef’s sister and her seven children were killed on 10 December 2023 by an Israeli strike on their home. They remain buried under rubble. Dozens of Yousef’s relatives and journalist colleagues are among the near 50,000 killed.
The Phoenix of Gaza will be shown this Sunday 6th April at 3pm in the Conway Mill.
