RIYADH: Palestinian director Hosam Abu Dan said his first feature film, “Thirteen in Gaza,” was the first feature film to be shot inside the Gaza Strip after the war and the first entirely Palestinian production.Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said the film recounted a real incident he witnessed and reflected the hopes and dreams shattered by the genocide.Filming took place under extremely difficult conditions, he said, with one crew member sustaining an injury for which he is still receiving treatment, as filming took place just a few meters from where Israeli soldiers were stationed. He added he was very happy his film would premiere at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival in Canada, which runs from Sept. 10-20.TIFF included the film in its official selection and in one of its most prominent sections, which is dedicated to international films that combine artistic merit with a human dimension and focuses on new and distinctive voices from around the world. It features 54 films from 50 countries.Abu Dan also said he was not surprised by the selection because Gaza’s stories deserved to reach the world. TIFF officials praised the film’s quality of the film and said they were impressed by it because it addressed an important issue concerning the impact of the war on Gazan society and people’s lives.Starring Firas Al-Masri, Ghassan Salem, Hanna Atallah, and Mariam Ziyara, the film explores resilience and family bonds from a human perspective, through the relationship between a father and his teenage daughter and the way they navigate everyday situations amid difficult conditions in a refugee camp in Gaza. Speaking about the idea behind the film, its director said it came to him after he personally experienced some of these circumstances, which prompted him to reflect more deeply on what the genocidal war had done to Palestinian society. He added: “So much news and so many films have shown everything happening in Gaza that we have come to regard some of the things we have lost as minor, even though they were never minor at all, but rather profoundly important human matters.”As an example, he said: “News bulletins mention the number of martyrs in the genocidal war, then casually say that women lost their unborn babies because of the conditions of war and displacement, as though it were merely a passing story. But for me, it is deeply moving because this war has destroyed hopes and dreams. That is why my enthusiasm for the story stemmed from the fact that there are other important aspects that have been completely affected by the conditions of the war.”Filming the 77-minute movie was no less difficult than the reality of its story, according to Abu Dan: “The film was shot under extremely difficult conditions, amid the war and limited resources. We filmed whenever circumstances allowed, and we tried as much as possible to find locations that met the film’s requirements while ensuring the safety of the crew. We were just meters away from attacks by occupation soldiers, and our colleague Khaled Abu Hanan was seriously injured on the fourth day of filming and is still receiving treatment.”Filming took around 12 days, with a plan in place to reduce the size of the crew and organize everything. Abu Dan continued: “With God’s help, we completed the work despite filming under complex conditions unlike those faced by any filmmaker elsewhere in the world. We made sure that roles were properly assigned among the crew. Our on-location crew consisted of five people, and each person was assigned more than one task. We chose filming locations that were close to one another, and all movement between them was carried out with the utmost caution.”He said “Thirteen in Gaza” was the first feature film to be shot and have all its production work completed inside Gaza after the war, with the exception of the sound production stage which took place between Lebanon and Paris. He pointed out that he himself has not left Gaza since the war broke out in 2023. While this marks Abu Dan’s first feature film, he has also shot a documentary about Gaza and directed a number of television series, including “Sharat Nasr Jalbue,” “Milad Al-Fajr” and “Anqoud.”Ahead of the world premiere of “Thirteen in Gaza” at TIFF, Palestinian director Abu Dan has received invitations for the film to participate in several international and Arab festivals. He said the film had begun its journey on the international circuit, with a number of international festivals awaiting it.He added: “This is a great source of pride for us, as Gaza’s stories and its message continue to reach the world through cinema.”This article was first published in Asharq Al-Awsat.