“We are continuing to work on the ground without food, without water, without internet, without anything,” Adel Zaanoun, coordinator of the AFP bureau in Gaza, told Le Devoir.
Inside Gaza, a documentary directed by Hélène Lam Trong that follows Agence France-Presse journalists inside the Palestinian territory following the October 7, 2023 attacks, won the best documentary film prize on Saturday at the Cinemania francophone film festival in Montreal.
The 72-minute film tracks the daily lives of four AFP reporters. It documents the extreme challenges of reporting from a conflict zone that remains largely closed to international press due to Israeli restrictions.
Cinemania Festival Awards
- Inside Gaza claimed the best documentary film award on Saturday in Montreal.
- The 72-minute feature relies almost exclusively on footage filmed by local AFP journalists.
- The project is currently competing for a nomination at the 2027 Oscars.
Hélène Lam Trong Used AFP Footage to Construct the Feature
Director Hélène Lam Trong constructed the feature using almost exclusively AFP footage, much of it shot by the very journalists featured on screen. The film is co-produced by FACTSTORY DOCS—an AFP documentary subsidiary—alongside Arte France and RTBF.
Following its release, the project gained traction on the international festival circuit. It earned an award at the Doc Edge festival in New Zealand in July and remains in contention for a 2027 Academy Award nomination.
Earlier in April, the documentary captured the Grand Prize at the 33rd Figra, the International Festival of Great Reporting and Social Documentary in France. During that ceremony, bureau coordinator Adel Zaanoun dedicated his prize to journalists killed in the conflict and those still reporting from the field.
Festival Honors in Montreal
| Award Category | Winning Title | Director / Creator |
|---|---|---|
| Best Documentary Film | Inside Gaza | Hélène Lam Trong |
| Francophone Faces Category | La Gradiva | Marine Atlan |
| Public Prize | Inside Gaza | Hélène Lam Trong (Co-recipient) |
Alongside its documentary victory, Inside Gaza also shared one of the festival’s public prizes on Saturday. Cinemania, dedicated to francophone cinema, also recognized Marine Atlan’s La Gradiva with the best film award in the “visages de la francophonie” category.
La Gradiva, an acclaimed feature centering on a high school senior class trip to Pompeii, drew widespread critical praise during its screening at the Cannes Film Festival.
Conflict Figures Follow the October 7 Attack
The conflict in the region followed the October 7, 2023 attack led by Hamas on Israeli soil, which resulted in 1,221 deaths according to official counts. Israel’s subsequent military campaign has devastated large areas of Gaza and resulted in more than 74,500 deaths, figures provided by the Hamas-run health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.
Accepting the honor in France earlier this year, Zaanoun urged the international community to continue supporting reporters everywhere to defend the freedom of the press.
