Festival Curated : Workshop films in GAZA by Haneen Koraz

Festival Curated :
Workshop films in GAZA
by Haneen Koraz

Haneen Koraz

Workshop and films are made by Haneen Koraz a stop-motion educator and trainer who, as an internally displaced person, lived at the refugee camp in Deir al-Balah. She is an experienced animator who has collaborated with various arts and culture associations working in Gaza. Her efforts especially focus on empowerment of women and young girls with hearing impairments.

In the camp, Haneen and her team (Nour A-Jawad and Shorook Darwish) led animation workshops for women and children to help them cope with the horrors they have experienced. On August 22, 2024 people in the camp were forced to evacuate. Haneen, Nour, and Shorook, even though displaced again, continue their work.

A Day in the Tent
فيلم: يوم في الخيمة (Yawm fi al-khayma)

(Collective work / 2024, Palestine, 4’04’’)

A charming family of 9 struggle to fulfil their daily chores whilst living in a tent city in Gaza in a time of war. Made by 19 children from the refugee camp in Deir al-Balah (displaced from Gaza City).

The Kids Fixed It
حلوها الأولاد (Ḥalluha al-awlad)

(Collective work / 2024, Palestine, 4’53’’)

Just as the family moves into their dream house, bombing begins. While the father panics and urges them to flee, the children come up with a clever solution. Made by 20 girls between 9 and 14 years old from Khan Younis, Gaza.

Queues
طوابير (Ṭawabir)

(Collective work / 2024, Palestine, 1’18’’)

Queuing is part of the daily routine for every child sheltering in the refugee camps. This film presents the real-life experiences of refugees, with a narrative guided by a poem by Mahmoud Darwish. Made by children and women at the Al-Anan playground shelter.

Grandmother Wore Us Out
ستي تعّبتنا (Setti ta‘abatna)

(Collective work / 2024, Palestine, 4’22’’)

Abu Mohammad had it all figured out – how to stretch water for a family of seven all week. Everyone pitched in, queuing for supplies and hauling them back. Just as they were ready to rest, Grandma strolled in, looking oddly refreshed. Arrrggg. Made by a group of displaced children in Deir al-Balah camp.

Cassette Tape
شریط کاسیت (Shariṭ kasit)

(Collective work / 2024, Palestine, 2’10’’)

A poetic mini-treatise about scientific and romantic power of signs and words that never perish, but rather – just like the sounds – pile up to the sky, leaving us drifting through playlists of memories and conversations. Made by 8 young women with hearing disabilities.

We Are Not Different
نحن لسنا مختلفين (Nahnu lasna mukhtalifeen)

(Collective work / 2024, Palestine, 1’26’’)

Artistic souls are the same – they cherish creativity, they work passionately. Art is a code empowering everyone to celebrate their own identity. Made by 24 children with hearing and physical disabilities in collaboration with a group of children without disabilities, aged between 9 and 12, from the camp in the humanitarian area of Deir al-Balah, Gaza.

Digging into Feelings
نبش في الشعور (Nabsh fi al-shuʿur)

(Haneen Koraz / 2024, Palestine, 3’16’’)

Living “between pens, colors, and a digital tablet, and explosion heard everywhere,” young artists grapple with their reality, seeking meaning – and hope – amid the chaos of war wrenching the lives of the Palestinian people. Animated by 9 young women with hearing disabilities aged between 20-35 years old in Al-Maghazi Camp (Central Governorate of Gaza City).

My Grandmother Learns Sign Language
أعلمك يا ستي (Uallimuki ya Sitti)

(Collective work / 2024, Palestine, 2’24”)

Ahmad hears neither the air raid siren nor his grandmother’s voice asking for chores. Like any child, war frightens him – but his effort to learn sign language brings joy and connection. Created by girls aged 10-14, some with hearing and physical disabilities, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza

Life Partner
شريك حياة (Sharik Hayah)

(Collective work / 2024, Palestine, 3’58’’)

Contrary to fearful predictions, a young couple with hearing impairments has been living happily ever after, raising a joyful, healthy son. Made by 10 women with impaired hearing aged between 18-35 years old in Deir al-Balah, Gaza.

The Grandmother Who Messed Everything Up
أجت تكحلها... عمتها" (Ajat tukahiluha... amat-ha)

(Collective work / 2024, Palestine, 5’27’’)

When no aid or goods are allowed to enter Gaza Strip, the sweetest grandma on Earth won’t let her grandson wear leaf-made shirts or a burlap tunic. The kids love new fashion, but will the neighbors appreciate her ideas too? Made by a group of girls aged 10-16 at the Basmat Amal camp in Deir al-Balah City, Gaza.

The Battle Inside the Tent
معركة داخل الخيمة (Maaraka dakhil al-khayma)

(Collective work / 2024, Palestine, 3’21”)

A cunning mouse turns the already challenging life in the tent upside down, creating total chaos. Made by 12 young women from the Kay La Nansa Camp in Deir al-Balah, Gaza.

Six Children and One Plate
ستة أطفال وطبق واحد (Sitta atfal wa tabaq wahid)

(Collective work / 2024, Palestine, 3’23’’)

The family finally buys an excessively expensive box of eggs, only for the mother to become a detective in the morning, solving the mystery of their disappearance. Made by children age 9-14 years old from the Basmat Amal camp in Deir al-Balah, Gaza.

Between the Past and the War
بين الماضي والحرب (Bayn al-madi wa al-harb)

(Collective work / 2024, Palestine, 2’25’’)

A girl speaks to a mirror that reflects her loved ones and their lives before the war – but also their current experiences of displacement, injury, and loss. Made by 10 girls aged 9-14 from the Amal Refugee Camp in Deir al-Balah, Gaza.

My Grandfather’s Magical Cane
عصا جدي السحرية (Asa jadi al-sihriya)

(Collective work / 2024, Palestine, 3’44’’)

Fatima takes great care of her late grandfather’s walking cane – so much so that it decides to transform into a magic wand and grant her family’s wishes. Made by a group of children from the Amal Refugee Camp in Deir al-Balah, Gaza.

The Stolen Warmth
مسروقات الحرب (Masruqat al-harb)

(Collective work / 2024, Palestine, 2’57’’)

A young woman is singing songs of poverty and misery while waiting for a thief to show up. She doesn’t realize the thieves have their own stories to tell. Made by 10 children between the ages of 10-13 from a camp in Deir al-Balah, Gaza.

Tent Life
قيد خيمة (Qayd khayma)

(Collective work / 2025, Palestine, 5’38’’)

In the “displaced persons” camps, where everyone meddles in others’ affairs, the women are working toward a constructive solution. Made by 15 displaced women aged 25-50 years old in Deir al-Balah, Gaza.

Stations
محطات (Mahatat)

(Haneen Koraz / 2025, Palestine, 3’26’’)

A story about the lives of three creative women destroyed by the war in Gaza.

The Monster
الوحش (Al-Wahsh)

(Nour A-Jawad / 2025, Palestine, 3’13’’)

Broken toys are breaking children’s hearts. The kids use their imagination to chase away the monster. The characters were designed and animated by children from the Jafa Camp in the city of Deir al-Balah, aged between 9-14 years old.

The Impact of Words
أثر الكلمة (Athar al-kalima)

(Collective work / 2025, Palestine, 1’36’’)

A boy who receives a much-needed hearing aid can now hear everything – also the harmful and the unjust. Words have impact; they always do. Made by a group of children with hearing disabilities, aged 9-13, from the Basmat Amal Camp in Deir al-Balah, Gaza.

When the Aid Fell
حين سقطت المساعدات (Hina saqatat al-musaadat)

(Collective work / 2025, Palestine, 3’38’’)

In the encampment, hunger is constant, and aid is scarce and ineffectively delivered. True integrity is needed to share what little does arrive – something a hungry young girl teaches her brother. Made by children aged 9-12 in a camp in Mawasi Khan Younis.

When I Walked Again
حين مشيت من جديد (Hina masheet min jadid)

(Collective work / 2025, Palestine, 3’17’’)

A young man rises from despair. His motor disability doesn’t stop him from building a life together with his true loved ones. Made by a group of young people with motor disabilities in the Nuseirat area of central Gaza.

Shoes That Didn’t Complete the Journey
أحذية لم تكمل الطريق (Ahthiya lam tukmil al-tariq)

(Collective work / 2025, Palestine, 2’41’’)

It tells a simple yet profound story about scattered shoes – each shoe belonging to someone who was martyred in the war. Among them are children, women, artists, mothers, sisters, and fathers, each with their own story. Made by children aged between 9 and 13 years old from the Abu Areef Street camp in Deir al-Balah.

Rejected
مرفوضة (Marfuda)

(Collective work / 2025, Palestine, 5’05’’)

A speech-impaired girl has the same dreams and hopes as her sister – they want to go out, meet friends, and get married. But a society prejudiced against disabilities makes all those dreams impossible. Made by young men and women with hearing disabilities, aged between 20-30 years old in Al-Maghazi Camp, Gaza.

Drops That Don’t Satisfy
قطرات لا تشبع (Qatarat la tushbi)

(Collective work / 2025, Palestine, 1’14’’)

A message from the animators: When you lose your most basic rights, survival becomes a daily battle against darkness, hunger, and cold. We live in darkness, search for water, chase after bread, and dream of the simplest things that world takes for granted. In Gaza the question isn’t “What will you eat today?” but rather “Will you find anything to eat at all?”. Made by children between the ages of 10-15 from the Al-Maghazi Camp.

Father, Let Me Learn
أبي دعني أتعلم (Abi daʿni atʿallam)

(Collective work / 2025, Palestine, 3’02’’)

A 13-year-old girl runs away after her father, unable to support the family, decides to marry her off. She misses her school and books, and would rather live among ruins than accept this fate. Made by girls between the ages of 9 to 14, from a displacement camp in Deir al-Balah, Gaza.

Hugs Under Bombs
عناق تحت القصف (ʿInaq tahta al-qasf)

(Collective work / 2025, Palestine, 1′)

A message from the animators: When the father falls, it is not just his body that collapses, but the entire family with him. This film is not just an animated scene; it is a mirror reflecting the reality of many families who lose their pillars in an instant. But it is also a message about love that does not break easily, even under bombardment. Bodies may fall apart, but the bonds that unite us remain alive. Can the world see what is happening? And can other hands reach out to lift those who fall before it is too late? Made by children between the ages 9-12 from Deir al-Balah, Gaza.

A Moment Between Play and Danger
لحظة بين اللعب والخطر (Lahza bayna al-laib wa al-khatar)

(Collective work / 2025, Palestine, 1’36’’)

Children from Gaza City understand all too well the danger of playing near rubble as possibly areas of unexploded ordnance. Made by children of 10 to 14 years old from Gaza City.

King of the Roads and Companion of Survival
ملك الطرقات ورفيق النجاة (Malik al-turuqat wa rafiq al-najat)

(Collective work / 2025, Palestine, 2’05”)

Once with plenty of transportation options, the people of Palestine now rely on donkeys to move, transport aid, or carry the injured and dead. People and donkeys alike struggle for survival. Made by children between the ages 9-14 from Deir al-Balah, Gaza.

The Women of the Tent Speak
سيدات يتكلمن في الخيمة (Sayyidat yatakallamna fi al-khayma)

(Collective work / 2025, Palestine, 3’01’’)

Neighbors recall what they miss from daily life before the war – one woman misses her kitchen utensils, another longs for the city’s buzz, a third just wants to see her husband, stranded beyond the border. They all crave peace. Made by 8 girls from Deir al-Balah, Gaza.