Watermelon Pictures Buys North American Rights to Thirteen in Gaza
Watermelon Pictures has bought all North American rights to Thirteen in Gaza, the debut narrative feature from Palestinian filmmaker Hosam Abu Dan, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
The deal covers the United States and Canada. It follows the film's premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in the TIFF Centrepiece section.
The story centres on 13-year-old Raghad, played by Mary Ziyara, who lives in a Gaza displacement camp with her father, played by Feras Al Masri. Abu Dan directed from a screenplay by Khalil Al Muzayyen, and also produced and edited the film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
What makes this stand out is where and how it was made. The film was shot entirely inside the Gaza Strip by an entirely Palestinian production team. It is the first narrative feature filmed and produced inside Gaza in 12 years, and the first filmed there since the war began in 2023.
The production used minimal resources. The shoot captured everything on two memory cards. Cinematography was by Yousef Al Mashharawi, with Hanna Atallah as executive producer and New Scene for Media Production as the production company.
Munir Atalla, head of production and acquisitions for Watermelon Pictures, negotiated the deal for the distributor. The company said it will announce its release plan in the coming months.
Watermelon Pictures launched in 2024 and specialises in Palestinian and Arab cinema. TIFF listed Thirteen in Gaza in its 2026 Centrepiece programme, with a screening noted for Thursday 10 at 9:30 AM, according to TIFF.
