"There are few places in the world that evoke such a strong visceral response as Gaza. It is somewhere that seems immediately familiar, known throughout the world from news flashes beamed onto our TV screens. Yet in truth we know almost nothing about this tiny strip of land on the shores of the Mediterranean." said the Directors, Garry Keane and Andrew McConnell. "From the very beginning we wanted to address the disparity between perception and reality. Having spent years working on the ground, we knew that Gaza was so much more than its portrayal in the media. This unique and vibrant land, rich in culture and history, is home to a people who are oppressed and dehumanized but who are also resilient and strong, and who want nothing more than to live normal lives. We thought about finding single stories, which in their telling would encapsulate the essence of what it is like to live in Gaza. But we decided that there are too many stories to tell and to take that approach would limit our ability to reflect the unique collective spirit of almost two million people, doing their best under the most extreme circumstances imaginable."
Understanding the historical context of a land surrounded by dead-ends and an open sea that confines the 75x7 mile (825 square kilometre) area to 2 million people is the only way to make sense of the hopelessness that is presented to us often dumbed down in the mainstream depictions of media. A generations have grown up or have been born into three civil wars in the last decade. It's the collateral damage of discord between Egypt and Israel who have left millions in limbo after sealing their borders. The economy is a shambles, medical supplies and basic living provisions intermittent due to restricted access and lockdowns between the borders. An entire civilization being raised on a foundation of violence and uncertainty, Palestinian and Israelis who fled earlier warms still living as refugees since the 1940s.
Gaza shows us the breeding grown for depression and anger an entire population is being reared in.
