DUBAI: The Gaza Cinema Academy has been officially launched at the Venice Film Festival with the aim of creating a lasting platform for film education, training and production for Palestinians in Gaza. Film industry insiders from Ramy Youssef to Kaouther Ben Hania, whose films have earned Oscar nods, have lent their backing to the project.  The initiative was unveiled on Monday by Palestinian filmmakers Ezzaldeen Shalh and Mai Masri, who co-founded the academy as a space designed to help emerging filmmakers develop their skills and tell stories from their own perspectives. Film heavyweights Annemarie Jacir, Hiam Abbass and Saleh Bakri have also got behind the initiative. They join Emmy-nominated US-Egyptian comedian and filmmaker Ramy Youssef, Tunisian “The Voice of Hind Rajab” director Kaouther Ben Hania, who is in Venice this year as a member of the jury, Italian producer Graziella Bildesheim, and Alaa Karkouti, co-founder of Cairo-based Mad Solutions. The academy’s work has already begun. A nine-month Gaza Filmmaking Diploma started in March, with 25 young Palestinian women taking part in the program. The course combines theoretical study with practical filmmaking training, providing participants with the skills needed to develop their own projects. The academy is also working towards creating a filmmaking degree that could be accredited by Al Quds Open University. Plans include establishing partnerships with international film festivals and cultural organizations, creating opportunities for Palestinian filmmakers to connect with the wider global industry. Director and film academic Shalh spoke about the power of film. “In Gaza, cinema is not merely an art form; it is a means of preserving memory, reclaiming our right to shape our own image, and giving a new generation the tools to tell its own story,” he said, according to Variety.