In Gaza, women filmmakers find strength behind the camera

"In 1998 I was the first woman director to train both men and women and carry a camera in the streets of Gaza," she explains. Wshah was trained by Canadian filmmaker Christine Necier, Arab filmmaker Imtiaz Diab and the Reuters news agency. Recalling a six-month stint studying filmmaking in Geneva, she states that "It was an interesting experience for me and it was rather a challenge for a girl from a refugee camp."

Wshah has directed a series of films depicting various issues affecting women, including the topic of rape. Among the almost 50 women filmmakers she has helped train, eight were recently selected for an upcoming film festival in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"During the last Israeli war on Gaza I was impressed by the experiences of Gaza women during the war, so I was determined to produce films, portraying their situations. I directed four separate films called 'War stories,'" she explains. Wshah adds that "A woman in the Zaitoun neighborhood in eastern Gaza city, who lost her husband, her children and her house was one of the most miserable situations I put a spotlight on."

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