Once Upon a Time in Gaza

A dark satirical thriller from Gaza about a small-time criminal falafel seller who becomes entangled in the production of a TV series about martyrs and heroes of the resistance movement.

In 2007, Yahya works in his friend Osama’s falafel shop in Gaza – a place that also serves as a front for drug dealing. His involvement leads him to witness a brutal crime. A few years later, Yahya is randomly selected by Gaza’s Ministry of Culture to play the lead role in a TV series celebrating martyrs and heroes of the resistance movement. As the conflict simmers in the background, Yahya is unexpectedly issued real weapons – raising the stakes and giving him a chance to confront the perpetrator behind the incident that changed his life.

The film shows us a Gaza that no longer exists, and the Nasser brothers won the Best Director award in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival in 2025. 

The Nasser brothers have previously made the films Dégradé (2015) and Gaza mon amour (2020), both previously screened at Arab Film Days. 

Movies on War

Culture Hub: Wine Tasting

On Saturday, March 21, you can start the festival evening with a wine tasting in the Vika basement from 16.00. Wines from the Arab world are bold, spicy, and full of personality – just like the films we show.

Read more and buy tickets here.

Pub Talks: USA and Israel/Palestine

Ahead of the screening of ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA on Sunday, March 22, there will be a mini lecture by Jørgen Jensehaugen about the United States’ various attempts at acting as a peace mediator in the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

The lecture starts at 18.00 and will be held in Norwegian.

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