A Play Before The Bombs (2021)

Set in the alMishal Cultural Center in Gaza before it was destroyed by an Israeli air strike on August 9 2018 A Play Before The Bombs is a story that unfolds over a 4 year period The film follows Abeer Ahmed a young woman growing up in the Jabaliya Refugee Camp the largest refugee camp in Gaza as she and the other members of her cast and crew prepare to put on a play that focuses on a Palestinian womans right to receive inheritance While the content of the play is tailored towards fostering a cultural discussion among Palestinians neither the play nor the playhouse can escape the omnipresence of the Israeli siege on Gaza A siege that shatters literal buildings as well as the hopes and dreams of the performers and community members who take refuge within the walls of alMishal in search of artistic fulfillment