Fuad Halwani

Flatmates and old friends Sofia and João share a bleak fascination with decadent, ritualistic behavior, until they welcome Rayan, a stranded traveler couch-surfing for a night in Porto.

He is a refugee. She is a city girl.

“GAZA.MP4” is a meditation on the mundanity of hope in the aftermath of the war on Gaza post-7th October 2023. The video portrays scenes of daily life in Gaza through the lens of a disrupted communication between two friends, Diaa and Mohannad. Diaa requests filmmaker Mohannad to use his phone to capture raw visual materials during his displacement journey from Gaza, Khan Yunis, and Rafah since October. Mohammad’s compliance cements a bond forged during their student days and addresses the phenomenon of data clouding and transferring through alternative channels like Telegram. Using the chat window as a visual element to evoke a sense of our modern anxiety and the relentless pace induced by ADHD, the footage is received and processed by Diaa.

Daniela lives trapped by responsibilities and a critical father, dreaming of becoming a theremin player. Her daily crossings of the Tejo soothe her, while she imagines a different life. One day, a mysterious box could be the key to unlocking her desires.

“GAZA.MP4” is a meditation on the mundanity of hope in the aftermath of the war on Gaza post-7th October 2023. The video portrays scenes of daily life in Gaza through the lens of a disrupted communication between two friends, Diaa and Mohannad. Diaa requests filmmaker Mohannad to use his phone to capture raw visual materials during his displacement journey from Gaza, Khan Yunis, and Rafah since October. Mohammad’s compliance cements a bond forged during their student days and addresses the phenomenon of data clouding and transferring through alternative channels like Telegram. Using the chat window as a visual element to evoke a sense of our modern anxiety and the relentless pace induced by ADHD, the footage is received and processed by Diaa.