This film documents the oppressive measures of the Israeli occupation against Palestinian citizens in Gaza, and presents examples of the Palestinian people’s resistance to the occupation forces. Abu Ali discovers a revolutionary cinematic language that captures the feelings of the characters being filmed.

“Scenes from the Occupation in Gaza” is a rare film by the great director Mustafa Abu Ali, one of the founders of the Palestine Film Unit, the first cinematic arm of the Palestinian revolution. It was filmed by a French news crew, and Mustafa edited it in Lebanon to produce one of the first films about the occupied territories in Gaza. “Scenes from the Occupation in Gaza” uses experimental editing techniques to produce a film with a revolutionary cinematic and political dimension. The film won the Best Film Award at the Damascus Film Festival in 1973 and was screened at many festivals. It is the only film produced by the Palestine Cinema Group, which in 1974 became the Palestine Cinema Institute.