The Gaza Cinema Academy has been officially launched at the Venice Film Festival, with the initiative aiming to establish a sustainable space for film education, training and production in Gaza, and connect emerging Palestinian filmmakers with the wider international film community. Co-founded by Palestinian filmmakers Ezzaldeen Shalh and Mai Masri, the academy will focus on supporting young talent and women, developing and producing new Palestinian films, and strengthening connections between filmmakers in Gaza and the Palestinian, Arab and international film communities.

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The launch builds on the Gaza Filmmaking Diploma, a nine-month theoretical and practical training programme developed in 2024. Its first intake of 25 young Palestinian women began the course in March 2026. Shalh, a Gaza-based filmmaker and film academic who also founded the Gaza International Women's Film Festival (see the news), has spearheaded the training initiative, while Masri is one of the pioneers of Palestinian cinema and the director of the 2015 feature 3000 Nights.

“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,” said Shalh in a statement announcing the launch. “We want the academy to open a window for young people and women in Gaza to learn, create and make their own films, and for their voices and images to reach the world. We invite our partners in institutions, universities and the international film community to be part of building this space,” he added.

The academy's objectives include building a sustainable film institution in Gaza while creating an international network of partners able to support emerging talent, expand opportunities for learning and production, and help films made by Palestinian filmmakers reach festivals, platforms and audiences worldwide. The initiative is seeking links with film festivals, cultural institutions, universities, film funds and production companies.

The academy is also developing a filmmaking degree intended to be accredited by the Al-Quds Open University, creating a longer-term academic pathway for film education in Gaza. Alongside education and training, the initiative aims to develop and produce new Palestinian films and strengthen the professional links of filmmakers in Gaza with the wider film industry.

The initiative has attracted support from a group of Palestinian, Arab and international filmmakers and industry professionals, including directors Kaouther Ben Hania (whose The Voice of Hind Rajab won the Silver Lion at Venice last year and is serving on this year's festival jury) and Annemarie Jacir, as well as actors Hiam Abbass, Ramy Youssef and Saleh Bakri. Italian producer Graziella Bildesheim and Alaa Karkouti, co-founder of Cairo-based film promotion and talent company Mad Solutions, are also supporting the academy.

“Supporting a new generation of filmmakers in Gaza means giving them a space to express their reality, memory and dreams. We believe that creativity and cinema can empower, preserve human memory and build bridges that transcend borders,” said Masri in a statement.

The international launch will continue with a presentation at Venice's Sale Docks on 9 September, held alongside an event celebrating the second edition of the Gaza International Festival for Women's Cinema.