Gaza's "Pelechao" won the Jury Award at the Oran International Festival

The movie "Bleachto Gaza" centers on war-torn Gaza and the battle of Alaa Maqdad's character, Aloush, a short-statured clown with an iron resolve, to reclaim his position as the "Maker of Joy." After their house was destroyed, Aloush and his family now live in a tent in the Beach refugee camp, where he fights every day to get food and water to survive. Aloush insists on performing for the kids despite the devastated streets and the grieving souls, clinging to lighting a candle of hope amid the gloom. Aloush continues to use art and laughter as coping mechanisms for his terrible pain as the conflict worsens. "Abdul Rahman Sabbah," a son of Gaza who lived through the conflict, is the director of the documentary, which epitomizes happiness in the face of blood and tragedy. The film was translated into English and made in France and Palestine.

Produced by Rashid Mashharawi of the Mashharawi Production Fund and Laura Nikolov of the Corogenes Production Company. The film was chosen to take part in the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) in the Netherlands after winning the "Jury Award" in the long documentary film category at the Oran International Arab Film Festival 2025 in Algeria.

Director Abdul Rahman Sabah

Palestinian director Abdul Rahman Sabah lives in Gaza. He participated part in a number of documentaries. After his house was destroyed by the occupation, Abdul Rahman came out of the ruins. He had a terrible time escaping and was burned by the shelling. In addition, he lost 35 of the 40 family members who lived in his multi-story home in northern but he wiped away his wounds, scrubbed off the dust of his home's destruction, and turned his tragedy into a piece of art that reflects both his own suffering and the suffering of other Gazans in the Gaza Strip. It adopted the shape of crime in a novel and distinctive way, transforming suffering into laughter and optimism. Soaring with the fabric of his imagination and letting it run wild, it demonstrated how much the Palestinian people love life, leading to the creation of the movie "Blashto Gaza." According to the director, youngsters who have experienced the brutality of war might find relief in the art of clowning.

The movie behind the laughter lies pain and an unforgettable wound

Abdel Rahman Sabbah, a Palestinian artist and filmmaker, produced and directed the movie. He considered Muqaddad a person who was successful in using clowning as a way to heal the pains of children who had lost their homes and loved ones. As he traveled between refugee camps, he became a voice of humor in the face of injustice and a symbol of hope amid the sorrow.

Sabah stated that "the film documents Aloush's journey from his first displacement from his home in the Beach Camp due to the intense shelling, thru his temporary stay at Al-Shifa Hospital, which later turned into a hotspot, to his displacement southward via what is known as the 'safe corridor.'"

The documentary film Aloush tells the story of the suffering of the Gazan people

The humanitarian story of Palestinian young man Alaa Muqaddad, known to the children of Gaza as "Amo Aloush," has been turned into a documentary film that tells the tale of the "Gaza Clown." Despite his personal circumstances as a young man with special needs and short stature, Muqaddad resisted the horrors of war by insisting on making children smile.

The director of the movie "Abdul Rahman Sabah" stated, "There is a tragic scene and determination from Aloush" which "at every stop of this journey, Aloush loses his tools and personal and artistic belongings that were part of his identity, but he insists on rebuilding himself from scratch, holding on to his belief that joy is the truest form of resistance." The director affirmed that the film's concept came from the depths of Gaza's everyday existence, amid the debris, tents, and tired faces.

Regarding the success of his documentary film, the Palestinian filmmaker from Gaza described it as a little hidden delight amid all the tragedies and devastation brought about by the occupation in Gaza. The locals are still weary and worn out, a muted joy in the midst of devastation and tragedy. The Palestinian people deserve life, he declared. In addition to competing with other films in 2025 at the ' Adifa" and "Turin" festivals, the movie will be screened at the International Rabat Festival in Morocco.