Thirteen in Gaza

Thirteen in Gaza
Arabicغزة 13
Directed byHosam Abu Dan
Written byKhalil al Muzzayyan
Produced byHosam Abu Dan
StarringMary Ziyara
Firas Al-Masri
Ghassan Salem
CinematographyYousef Al Mashharawi
Edited byHosam Abu Dan
Music byAlaa El Rawey
Production
company
New Scene for Media Production
Distributed byWatermelon Pictures
Release date
  • September 15, 2026 (2026-09-15) (TIFF)
Running time
77 minutes
CountryPalestine
LanguageArabic

Thirteen in Gaza (Arabic: غزة 13) is a Palestinian drama film, directed by Hosam Abu Dan and released in 2026. The film centres on Raghad (Mary Ziyara), a 13-year-old girl coming of age in a displacement camp in the Gaza Strip after losing most of her family in a bombing raid, while her father Abu (Firas Al-Masri) is drawn into a dangerous black market economic scheme run by Khalil (Ghassan Salem) in an attempt to provide for himself and his daughter.

Production

The first feature-length film production to be shot in Gaza since the beginning of the Gaza war, the film was shot in just 12 days by a skeleton crew of just five people, reduced to four when one of the crew members was injured when the film was itself disrupted by an airstrike. It was filmed digitally onto two memory cards.

Distribution

The film premiered in the Centrepiece program at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was the winner of the NETPAC Prize.

It was one of several films, from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, that faced concerns during the 2026 film festival season around their ability to secure commercial distribution deals due to major film companies shying away from the potential for controversy. Other films implicated in the same discussion included NAZA, Our Loves and Edward Said: Between Worlds.

The film was ultimately acquired for distribution by the independent company Watermelon Pictures.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Scott Roxborough, "Watermelon Pictures Acquires ‘Thirteen in Gaza’ Out of TIFF". The Hollywood Reporter, September 16, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Michael Hollett, "TIFF review: “Thirteen in Gaza” is essential viewing but will it get wide release?". NEXT, September 25, 2026.
  3. ↑ Melanie Goodfellow, "‘Thirteen In Gaza’ Trailer: Father & Daughter Tale Shot In Devastated Palestinian Territory Won NETPAC Award At TIFF". Deadline Hollywood, September 21, 2026.
  4. ↑ Erbland, Kate (August 4, 2026). "TIFF Adds More Than 60 New Titles, Including Festival Winners 'La Gradiva' and 'Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!'". IndieWire. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
  5. ↑ Pete Hammond, "‘La Bola Negra’ Wins Oscar Predictive Toronto Film Festival People’s Choice Award". Deadline Hollywood, September 20, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Scott Roxborough, "Israel, Palestine and the Films No One Will Buy". The Hollywood Reporter, September 13, 2026.