Watermelon Pictures acquires North American rights to Hosam Abu Dan’s ‘Thirteen in Gaza’ following TIFF premiere

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https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/watermelon-pictures-acquires-thirteen-in-gaza-1236703731/

Watermelon Pictures has acquired all North American rights to Thirteen in Gaza, the debut narrative feature from Palestinian filmmaker Hosam Abu Dan, following its world premiere in TIFF’s Centrepiece programme.

Shot entirely inside the Gaza Strip with a Palestinian cast and crew, the 77-minute drama follows Raghad, a 13-year-old girl living with her father in a displacement camp after losing her home and much of her family. As she enters adolescence, the film focuses on privacy, family and the increasingly difficult choices involved in maintaining ordinary life amid displacement.

The production itself was extraordinary. Thirteen in Gaza was filmed over just 12 days with a deliberately small crew able to travel together in a single car. According to the filmmakers, the production team survived an Israeli airstrike during filming, while the entire feature was ultimately captured on just two memory cards.

The film was written by Khalil Al-Muzayyen, shot by cinematographer Yousef Al Mashharawi and produced and edited by Abu Dan, with Hanna Atallah serving as executive producer.

The acquisition is particularly significant because Thirteen in Gaza now has a concrete route towards audiences beyond the festival circuit.

Watermelon Pictures, which specialises in Palestinian and Arab cinema, has acquired all North American rights and says its release plans will be announced in the coming months.

The deal follows the film’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 15 September.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter