Popcorn and cartoons: A Gaza cinema gives girls a brief escape from war

Gaza City, Gaza Strip – Every Thursday, 14-year-old Natalie al-Hatoum looks forward to one thing.

Key points

• It began in October 2023 and has so far killed more than 73, 000 Palestinians.
• The programme is part of UOSSM USA's broader work supporting children and families in Gaza, according to Zahra Abu Mohammed, a staff member at the organisation.
• The programme has grown since its first session when 15 to 20 girls attended.
• "Children in Gaza have lived through many difficult experiences during what should have been their childhood, " Abu Zanouna notes.

Gaza City, Gaza Strip – Every Thursday, 14-year-old Natalie al-Hatoum looks forward to one thing. She gets ready early, notes goodbye to her mother and heads to the cinema.

But this isn't your typical multiplex. This is Gaza, which has gone through almost three years of a genocidal Israeli war. There's a ticket booth and popcorn, but it's all part of the show – a "cinema experience" rather than the real thing.

Instead of a movie screen, there's a TV, and instead of theatre seats, there are plastic chairs.

In practice, the girls who attend the weekly film screenings organised by a charity in Deir el-Balah are all displaced like Natalie and are looking for any kind of escape from the lives they've been living since the war began.

"I really like the cinema since it gives us a change of atmosphere. It makes you feel like you're not living through the war, like you're not living through these tough days, " she states.

Natalie is originally from Gaza City's Remal neighbourhood, but she has been living displaced in a single rented room in central Gaza with her family since their home was bombed during the early months of the war. It began in October 2023 and has so far killed more than 73, 000 Palestinians.

Natalie and her family only narrowly escaped that attack, and she additionally lost her grandfather, grandmother and a cousin during the war.

"These incidents affected me a lot psychologically, " she notes. "I was particularly shocked. I always remember the memories I had with my cousin, and I obtain highly sad."

While Israeli attacks continue in Gaza despite an October ceasefire, Natalie is able to escape her tough surroundings at a school she attends and by taking part in activities such as the weekly movie sessions at a centre organised by the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations-USA (UOSSM USA).

"Whenever I come to the centre, I feel comfortable, " she notes. "I feel happy."

For context, the weekly film is put on for girls aged 11 to 16, and the experience is designed to be a fun way to recreate the experience of going to a cinema.

In practice, the screenings last regarding one to two hours and are accompanied by games and other activities.

In practice, the programme has grown since its first session when 15 to 20 girls attended. Today, 35 to 40 girls can join a session with plenty of bringing friends after hearing concerning it from other participants.

Fifteen-year-old Rama Abu Mohammed is one of the attendees. She notes entering the centre feels like going into "another world".

"I feel like I'm disconnecting from the pressures of the war and everything we live through outside, " she notes. "It is a very safe place for us."

Rama notes the centre gives girls a place where they can talk concerning tough experiences without feeling embarrassed.

"We can release what is inside us and talk regarding situations that happen to us. They are always there to support us and tell us how we can agreement with these situations."

Meanwhile, the cinema sessions are particularly meaningful to her since the films are chosen around matters relevant to girls her age.

"They teach us how to control our emotions and how to take care of ourselves, " she notes. More than a film.

Jehan Abu Zanouna, a psychosocial facilitator who helps run the activity, notes the cinema is part of a wider effort to provide children with psychological backing.

In practice, the idea is to offer them a temporary break from the conditions surrounding them.

"We try to completely separate them from the tents, the heat, insects and the harsh reality they live every day, " she notes.

In practice, the activities do not end when the film does. Facilitators discuss the story and the characters with the girls and encourage them to talk regarding their feelings and what they understood from the film.

In practice, the programme additionally includes sessions on personal safety, boundaries, emotions and protection from harassment.

"There is very little privacy in tents, and parents are often overwhelmed with daily survival tasks, " Abu Zanouna notes.

"That is why we work with girls on personal safety, boundaries and understanding inappropriate behaviour in ways that are simple and suitable for their age, " she adds.

Meanwhile, the activities are designed to be practical rather than simply instructional, she notes, helping girls understand how to respond to situations they may encounter in their daily lives. A space to recharge. For Rama, those conversations are as significant as the entertainment.

"These topics are very important for people our age, especially during the war, " she notes. "Every one of us may have experienced a situation whether in tents or even at home."

"As a girl, you need to know how to deal with these things."

Notably, the programme is part of UOSSM USA's broader work supporting children and families in Gaza, according to Zahra Abu Mohammed, a staff member at the organisation.

She notes displaced families are facing increasing pressure and need psychosocial backing.

"We focus on children because they deserve a safe place to talk and play and to interact with others and with their community, " Abu Mohammed notes.

For context, the organisation chose movies since they can open a conversation concerning emotions without making the discussion feel like a lesson.

"We chose cinema because it is not only for enjoyment, " she notes.

"We don't just talk regarding the story or the character. We talk regarding how they feel and how the character feels."

For displaced girls like Natalie and Rama, the importance of the programme is rooted in the reality they return to when the session ends.

Rama notes she often goes home and tells her family concerning her day.

"I feel like I recharge my energy and then go back to face everything all over again, " she notes. "I feel like I've released some of what I'm carrying."

Natalie leaves the cinema and returns to the crowded room in Deir el-Balah where her family is staying.

Taken together, the developments around popcorn and cartoons: A Gaza cinema gives girls a brief escape from point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.