Phoenix 24
An acclaimed film reveals the human cost of reporting from war.
MONTREAL, Canada. Inside Gaza (Dans Gaza), a documentary portraying the experiences of four Palestinian journalists working for Agence France-Presse (AFP), has won Best Documentary Film at the Cinemania Francophone Film Festival in Montreal, recognizing a powerful account of journalism under extraordinary wartime conditions.
The award was presented on November 14, 2026, to a production directed by French filmmaker Hélène Lam Trong. The 72-minute documentary follows reporter Mai Yaghi, Gaza bureau coordinator Adel Zaanoun, and photojournalists Mahmud Hams and Mohammed Abed.
The film examines the first seven months following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent Israeli military offensive in Gaza.
During that period, international journalists faced severe restrictions on independent access to the Palestinian territory, leaving locally based reporters responsible for much of the documentation reaching audiences worldwide.
For more than 200 days, the four AFP journalists recorded events while confronting bombardment, shortages of essential supplies and threats to their own families.
Their experiences form the documentary’s central narrative, presenting journalism not simply as a professional responsibility but as an activity conducted amid the same dangers affecting the wider civilian population.
Lam Trong began developing the project after AFP approached her in January 2024. However, she was unable to enter Gaza because of restrictions imposed by the Israeli military.
The production consequently adopted an unusual approach: approximately 85% of its footage consists of images recorded by the journalists themselves.
After the reporters and their families were evacuated through Egypt, the director met them in Cairo to document their experiences and complete the film.
Adel Zaanoun accepted the Montreal award on behalf of the team, dedicating it to journalists killed during the conflict and those who continue reporting despite shortages of food, water and communications infrastructure.
He also appealed for continued international support for journalists and the protection of press freedom.
Produced in 2025, Inside Gaza is a French-Belgian collaboration involving Factstory Docs, ARTE France and Belgian broadcaster RTBF.
The documentary has already received several international distinctions, including the Grand Prix and Audience Award at France’s FIGRA festival in April 2026.
In July, it also won Best International Documentary and Best Editing at New Zealand’s Doc Edge festival.
Its growing recognition has prompted discussion of a possible nomination for the 2027 Academy Awards, although no nomination has been announced.
Beyond its festival success, the film raises fundamental questions about access to information during armed conflict and the dangers faced by journalists documenting events from within besieged communities.
By placing Palestinian reporters at the center of the narrative, Inside Gaza highlights the people whose work makes international news coverage possible, even when reporting carries profound personal risks.
Behind Every Fact, a Deeper Story.