Palestinian directors Arab and Tarzan Nasser won the Best Director Award in the Un Certain Regard category for their film Once Upon a Time in Gaza.
A dark comedy with a sharp social commentary, Once Upon a Time in Gaza is about a young student, Yahya, who forms an unlikely friendship with an outgoing but shrewd restaurateur. Delivering falafel sandwiches as a cover, they embark on a drug trafficking business. They soon find themselves embroiled in a dangerous confrontation with a corrupt police officer whose unchecked ego threatens to ruin their project.
This film is a co-production between France, Palestine, Germany, Portugal, Qatar, and Jordan. It was a great success at Cannes, screening four times.
Born in Gaza in 1988, the Nasser brothers have presented their films at Cannes before. Their short film Condom Lead was selected for the festival’s main competition in 2013. Their first feature film, Dégradé, premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week, and their second film, Gaza Mon Amour, premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2021.
Sources : Festival de Cannes, Broadcast Pro
