Bloodshed always begets more bloodshed, and if you’re remotely any kind of humanist, you lament the loss of any life. The October 7, 2023, attacks by the terrorist organization Hamas against the innocent civilians of Israel were heinous and deplorable, full stop. But the counter-offensive response has been a year-long campaign that has leveled much of Palestine into rubble and claimed the lives of 43,000 innocent people and counting—women and children, too. It’s become so brutal that the world’s top war crimes court issued arrest warrants last week for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for crimes against humanity. And so Palestine’s Official Submission for the 2025 Academy Awards, “From Ground Zero,” is a timely, if sobering offering.
READ MORE: 2024 Fall Film Preview: 50 Movies To Watch
An omnibus film, “From Ground Zero” offers the combined work of 22 artists living in a besieged Gaza Strip and provides a contextualizing and critically important look beyond the brutal and relentless attacks. Organized by the Mashawari Fund for films and filmmakers in Gaza, the documentary premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and is set to arrive early next year.
Watermelon Pictures announced that it had acquired the North American distribution rights to the film in early September.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Palestine’s Official Submission for the 2025 Academy Awards, “From Ground Zero,” is a collection of revealing stories from 22 Palestinian filmmakers living through war who captured their lives in Gaza following the attacks in October 2023. Through a blend of animation, documentary, and fiction, they create a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit. This film serves as a remarkable reflection of how art can thrive even in the darkest times, showcasing the enduring spirit and creativity that emerge amid ongoing devastation.
“From Ground Zero” will be released in theaters on January 3, 2025. Watch the new trailer below and check out the poster, which we proudly present exclusively below.
Doctors Without Borders – Providing Medical Care in Gaza
![‘From Ground Zero’ Poster: Palestine's Oscar Submission Tells ‘Stories From Gaza’ [Exclusive]](https://cdn.theplaylist.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/25132502/fromgroundzero_web-691x1024.jpg)