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Once Upon a Time in Gaza

Play trailer Poster for Once Upon a Time in Gaza 2025 1h 30m Drama Crime Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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91% Tomatometer 11 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Gaza, 2007. Yahya, a young student, forges a friendship with Osama, a charismatic restaurant owner with a big heart. Together, they start peddling drugs while delivering falafel sandwiches, but they are soon forced to grapple with a corrupt cop and his oversized ego....

Critics Reviews

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Siddhant Adlakha Variety Its self-reflexive, bifurcated story — about using cinematic images to create a revolution — ends up ironically flaccid. Jul 8, 2025 Full Review Yasmine Kandil Little White Lies The melodrama derives from rich cultural specificity that lends itself well to this tale of love, loss, and unrest. May 27, 2025 Full Review Ben Kenigsberg RogerEbert.com Structurally, “Once Upon a Time in Gaza” is pretty rough (the two halves aren’t tied together well), but the lurching, unpredictable nature of the narrative is of a piece with the movie’s subject and setting. May 21, 2025 Full Review Sarah Manvel In Their Own League A good movie, which makes clever use of its tropes to build to a completely unpredicted ending. It’s an incredible reminder of what hope can do. Jun 6, 2025 Full Review Wael Khairy The Cairo Scene With Once Upon a Time in Gaza, the Nasser brothers pull off something so rare. They created a film that is both unflinching and unexpectedly uplifting. It demands to be seen. Jun 1, 2025 Full Review John Bleasdale Next Best Picture This is a well-made and thoroughly entertaining thriller/dramedy that evokes a lost Palestinian city that has been destroyed before our eyes. Rated: 7/10 May 24, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews
Once Upon a Time in Gaza

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Cast & Crew

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Tarzan Nasser

Director

Arab Nasser

Director

Nader Abd Alhay

Yahya

Ramzi Maqdisi

Abou Sami

Majd Eid

Osama

Issaq Elias

Le réalisateur
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Once Upon a Time in Gaza

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Movie Info

Synopsis Gaza, 2007. Yahya, a young student, forges a friendship with Osama, a charismatic restaurant owner with a big heart. Together, they start peddling drugs while delivering falafel sandwiches, but they are soon forced to grapple with a corrupt cop and his oversized ego....
Director
Tarzan Nasser, Arab Nasser
Producer
Rani Massalha, Muriel Merlin, Marie Legrand
Screenwriter
Tarzan Nasser, Arab Nasser
Production Co
Jordan Pioneers, Riva Film, Made in Palestine Project , Ukbar Filmes, Les Films du Tambour
Genre
Drama, Crime, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Arabic
Runtime
1h 30m