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ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA invites rousing applause at CIFF
16 November 2025
The Arab World premiere of ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA, the latest feature from acclaimed Palestinian filmmakers Tarzan and Arab Nasser, marked a powerful moment at the 46th Cairo International Film Festival and received enthusiastic responses from audiences.
Ahead of the screening, the film was warmly introduced by a distinguished lineup of creatives and industry leaders, including filmmaker Rani Massalha, filmmaker Dessil Mekhtigian, directors Mohammed Abu Nasser (Arab Nasser) and Ahmed Abu Nasser (Tarzan Nasser), filmmaker Amer Nasser, actor Majd Eid, producer Ziad Srouji, CEO and founder of Rise Studios Amanda Turnbull, and MAD Solutions co-founders Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab. Their heartfelt words set the stage for an unforgettable cinematic experience.
The premiere drew an impressive roster of celebrities and cultural icons, including the French Ambassador to Egypt, Eric Chevallier; CIFF President and actor Hussien Fahmy; veteran actress Lebleba; directors Karim El Shenawy and Kamla Abouzekri; DOP Nancy Abdelfattah; actors Mustafa Shehata, Ebram Saeed, Ahmed Radwan, and Ali El Sabaa; as well as actresses Tuana El Gohary, Rania Mansour, Rakeen Saad, and Gehad Hossam ElDin, along with actor Sedky Sakhr.
Following the screening, audiences were invited to an engaging Q&A session with directors Arab and Tarzan Nasser, joined by actor Majd Eid, where they discussed the film’s story, themes, and creative process.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA, set in 2007 Gaza, explores the gripping story of Yahya, a young student who forges a friendship with Osama, a charismatic restaurant owner with a big heart. Together, they begin peddling drugs while delivering falafel sandwiches, but they are soon forced to grapple with a corrupt cop and his oversized ego.
Previously, the film world premiered at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, where it won the Best Director Award. Since then, it has toured over 20 international festivals across more than 10 countries, including Warsaw, Thessaloniki, São Paulo, Rome, and Toronto, where it opened the Toronto Palestine Film Festival.
During its festival tour, the film received rave reviews from critics across the board, including Clotilde Chinnici of Loud And Clear Reviews, who described it as “necessary and remarkable,” and William Mulally of The National, who called it “a powerful ode to Palestinian resilience.”
An international co-production between France, Palestine, Germany, and Portugal with Qatar and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the film boasts a stellar cast that includes Nader Abd Alhay, who is known for his role as Sami in FARAH, which is streaming now on Netflix; Ramzi Maqdisi (GHOST HUNTING, awarded Best Documentary at the Berlinale), Majd Eid (Cannes Winning title HOLY SPIDER); DOP Christophe Graillot (RIDE ABOVE) and editor Sophie Reine, who won the Best Editing Award at the César Awards for her work in THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
Directed by the Nasser Brothers from a screenplay co-written with Amer Nasser and Marie Legrand, ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA is produced by Rani Massalha and Marie Legrand from Les Films du Tambour and Muriel Merlin of Lyly Productions.
Additionally, the film was co-produced with Rise Studios (Amanda Turnbull and Ziad Srouji), Made in Palestine Project (Rashid Abdelhamid), Red Balloon Film (Dorothe Benemeier), Riva Filmproduktion (Mickael Eckelt and Lena Zimmerhackel), Ukbar Filmes (Pandora Da Cunha Telles and Pablo Iraola), and executive produced by Jordan Pioneers Multi Media & Slate Films Services (Khaled Haddad) in association with A. A. Films (Ahmed Amer), Cocoon Films (Sawsan Asfari), Radio e Televisao De Portugal, and Kometa (Edyta Janczak-Hiriart).
MAD Distribution manages the film’s distribution and sales across the Arab world, The Party Film Sales oversees international sales, while Dulac Distribution handles the French distribution rights.
Throughout its production phases, the film received support from prestigious institutions, including Aide aux Cinémas du Monde - CNC, Eurimages, Moin Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, Fundo CNC-Ica De Apoio A Coproducao Franco-Portuguesa, the Doha Film Institute, the Royal Film Commission’s Jordan Film Fund, and Ciclic And Région Centre-Val De Loire.
Twin brothers Tarzan and Arab Nasser were born in Gaza in 1988 and started their filmmaking careers with their Cannes-selected short CONDOM LEAD before making their first feature film, DÉGRADÉ, which premiered in the 68th Cannes’ Critics’ Week. Their second feature, GAZA MON AMOUR, premiered in the Orrizonti Section of the 77th Venice International Film Festival and was Palestine’s submission to the 93rd Academy Awards.
Ahead of the screening, the film was warmly introduced by a distinguished lineup of creatives and industry leaders, including filmmaker Rani Massalha, filmmaker Dessil Mekhtigian, directors Mohammed Abu Nasser (Arab Nasser) and Ahmed Abu Nasser (Tarzan Nasser), filmmaker Amer Nasser, actor Majd Eid, producer Ziad Srouji, CEO and founder of Rise Studios Amanda Turnbull, and MAD Solutions co-founders Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab. Their heartfelt words set the stage for an unforgettable cinematic experience.
The premiere drew an impressive roster of celebrities and cultural icons, including the French Ambassador to Egypt, Eric Chevallier; CIFF President and actor Hussien Fahmy; veteran actress Lebleba; directors Karim El Shenawy and Kamla Abouzekri; DOP Nancy Abdelfattah; actors Mustafa Shehata, Ebram Saeed, Ahmed Radwan, and Ali El Sabaa; as well as actresses Tuana El Gohary, Rania Mansour, Rakeen Saad, and Gehad Hossam ElDin, along with actor Sedky Sakhr.
Following the screening, audiences were invited to an engaging Q&A session with directors Arab and Tarzan Nasser, joined by actor Majd Eid, where they discussed the film’s story, themes, and creative process.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA, set in 2007 Gaza, explores the gripping story of Yahya, a young student who forges a friendship with Osama, a charismatic restaurant owner with a big heart. Together, they begin peddling drugs while delivering falafel sandwiches, but they are soon forced to grapple with a corrupt cop and his oversized ego.
Previously, the film world premiered at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, where it won the Best Director Award. Since then, it has toured over 20 international festivals across more than 10 countries, including Warsaw, Thessaloniki, São Paulo, Rome, and Toronto, where it opened the Toronto Palestine Film Festival.
During its festival tour, the film received rave reviews from critics across the board, including Clotilde Chinnici of Loud And Clear Reviews, who described it as “necessary and remarkable,” and William Mulally of The National, who called it “a powerful ode to Palestinian resilience.”
An international co-production between France, Palestine, Germany, and Portugal with Qatar and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the film boasts a stellar cast that includes Nader Abd Alhay, who is known for his role as Sami in FARAH, which is streaming now on Netflix; Ramzi Maqdisi (GHOST HUNTING, awarded Best Documentary at the Berlinale), Majd Eid (Cannes Winning title HOLY SPIDER); DOP Christophe Graillot (RIDE ABOVE) and editor Sophie Reine, who won the Best Editing Award at the César Awards for her work in THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
Directed by the Nasser Brothers from a screenplay co-written with Amer Nasser and Marie Legrand, ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA is produced by Rani Massalha and Marie Legrand from Les Films du Tambour and Muriel Merlin of Lyly Productions.
Additionally, the film was co-produced with Rise Studios (Amanda Turnbull and Ziad Srouji), Made in Palestine Project (Rashid Abdelhamid), Red Balloon Film (Dorothe Benemeier), Riva Filmproduktion (Mickael Eckelt and Lena Zimmerhackel), Ukbar Filmes (Pandora Da Cunha Telles and Pablo Iraola), and executive produced by Jordan Pioneers Multi Media & Slate Films Services (Khaled Haddad) in association with A. A. Films (Ahmed Amer), Cocoon Films (Sawsan Asfari), Radio e Televisao De Portugal, and Kometa (Edyta Janczak-Hiriart).
MAD Distribution manages the film’s distribution and sales across the Arab world, The Party Film Sales oversees international sales, while Dulac Distribution handles the French distribution rights.
Throughout its production phases, the film received support from prestigious institutions, including Aide aux Cinémas du Monde - CNC, Eurimages, Moin Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, Fundo CNC-Ica De Apoio A Coproducao Franco-Portuguesa, the Doha Film Institute, the Royal Film Commission’s Jordan Film Fund, and Ciclic And Région Centre-Val De Loire.
Twin brothers Tarzan and Arab Nasser were born in Gaza in 1988 and started their filmmaking careers with their Cannes-selected short CONDOM LEAD before making their first feature film, DÉGRADÉ, which premiered in the 68th Cannes’ Critics’ Week. Their second feature, GAZA MON AMOUR, premiered in the Orrizonti Section of the 77th Venice International Film Festival and was Palestine’s submission to the 93rd Academy Awards.
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