An intimate Palestinian short documentary filmed entirely in Gaza,
across its north and south, during the ongoing genocide.
A co-production between Tellers Productions and Don’t Skip Humanity
“Fish are the only free creatures in Gaza. I wish I were a free fish.”
Two Brothers.
One Sea.
A Land
Forcibly Divided.
Free Fish follows Mohammad Kaloob — known as Abu Nagham — and his brother Ahmad, two Palestinian fishermen separated by Israel's military assault and forced displacement in Gaza, yet connected by the same sea.
Forced south to Khan Younis with his two young daughters, Abu Nagham has lost the boat and nets he once relied on after the bombing of Gaza's seaport. He uses whatever he can find to return to the water and provide food for his family.
In the north, Ahmad remains near Al-Shate'e refugee camp under total blockade. Each morning, he goes back to a coastline where fishermen are targeted, boats have been destroyed, and casting a net can cost a life.
The film also follows Rami, Abu Nagham's teenage nephew, who lost his twin brother during the genocide and now fishes alone. Through him, fishing becomes more than survival: it becomes grief, inheritance, and a way of continuing.
It took too long for a short.”
In Gaza, Even the Sea
is Under Siege.
For generations, Gaza's sea has been a source of food, work, memory, identity, and refuge. For decades, it has also been controlled by an Israeli naval blockade that restricts how far Palestinian fishermen can travel and exposes them to surveillance, arrest, confiscation, and live fire.
Internet in Gaza was extremely scarce. Bisan often had to cycle to a journalists' tent, usually a targeted location, and leave a colleague checking whether the files would upload. We lost footage when uploads failed, and one drive was destroyed.
For much of the production, the north of Gaza was completely cut off. Free Fish was the only film that year shot in both the north and the south. That meant knowing every road, street and checkpoint by heart, and tracking evacuated zones day by day. Sometimes we decided not to film, and worked with the footage we already had.
Free Fish premiered in Gaza before it premiered anywhere else. We showed it to the fishermen in the film and to other members of their community.
Registered fishermen in Gaza before October 2023
Days of production, adaptation, and collaboration
Year the siege of Gaza began, sealing off Gaza by sea
A Palestinian
Story, Told
from Within.
Directed by Emmy and Peabody Award-winning Palestinian filmmaker Bisan Owda, Free Fish is grounded in authorship from within Gaza. It does not approach Gaza as a distant subject, nor does it extract testimony from people living through genocide.
Since October 2023, Gaza's main fishing port has been severely damaged, most fishing boats have been destroyed, and the average catch has collapsed. Fishermen continue to enter the water only metres from the shore, risking their lives to feed their families.
In Free Fish, these are not background statistics. They are the conditions of everyday life. The film stays with the people living that reality: repairing, improvising, remembering, grieving, and returning to the sea.
“This sea is mine. This wet air is mine.”
A Palestinian
–Portuguese
Co-Production
Free Fish is the first major co-production between Tellers Productions, based in Gaza, and Don't Skip Humanity, based in Portugal.
At its centre was trust: between two brothers; between a Palestinian director and cinematographers working in the north and south; and between teams carrying the film through production and post-production under radically different conditions.
From Gaza
to Audiences
Around the World.
Since beginning its festival journey at TRT International Documentary Awards and SFFILM Doc Stories, Free Fish has travelled through cinemas, festivals, universities, and community spaces across the world.
Bring Free Fish to Your Community.
Free Fish is available for film festivals, cinemas, universities, cultural institutions, grassroots organisations, solidarity groups, and community screenings.
Screening materials are available in DCP and digital formats, with subtitled versions in English, Portuguese, French, Spanish, and Arabic. Conversations and Q&As with members of the filmmaking and production team may also be possible, subject to availability and conditions in Gaza.
For us, consent is not a document signed at the beginning of production. It is an ongoing process of dialogue, trust and accountability.”
Sustain Palestinian
Storytelling.
Every image in this film exists because Palestinian filmmakers in Gaza continued to document — even while their own safety, homes, families, and access to basic necessities were under constant threat.
Free Fish was first funded by Tellers Productions and Don't Skip Humanity, long before there was any guarantee of return. Festival screenings, awards, grants and industry support now help cover part of the costs of production, post-production and distribution.
Donations support the independent work of Tellers Productions and Don't Skip Humanity, and the Ele Elna Elak campaign.
Frequently
Asked
Questions
Quick answers about the film and how to see it. If your question is not here, write to studio@dontskiphumanity.org.
What is Free Fish?+
Free Fish is a short documentary directed by Bisan Owda and filmed entirely in Gaza during the ongoing genocide. It follows two Palestinian fishermen brothers separated by siege and forced displacement, yet connected by the same sea. The film runs 22 minutes, in Arabic with subtitles.
Where can I watch it?+
The film is travelling through festivals and independent screenings and is not available online yet. The Festivals and Screenings sections show where it plays next.
How can I bring the film to my city?+
Write to us at studio@dontskiphumanity.org. The contact buttons on this website open an email addressed to us. Free Fish is available to film festivals, cinemas, universities, cultural institutions, grassroots organisations and community screenings. We will come back to you with the details.
In which formats and languages is the film available?+
Screening copies exist in DCP and digital formats, with subtitles in English, Portuguese, French, Spanish and Arabic.
Does a screening have a cost?+
Conditions are agreed for each screening, depending on the context and the type of event. Tell us about it in your email and we will come back to you with the conditions.
Can someone from the team join a Q&A?+
Often, yes. Members of the filmmaking and production team can join conversations and Q&As, in person or online, subject to availability and to conditions in Gaza.
Who made the film?+
Free Fish is directed by Bisan Owda, an Emmy and Peabody Award winning Palestinian filmmaker and journalist from Gaza. It is the first major co-production between Tellers Productions, based in Gaza, and Don’t Skip Humanity, based in Portugal. Every image was filmed inside Gaza by Palestinian cinematographers.
Where does my donation go?+
Donations support the work of bringing Free Fish to audiences around the world. They are processed securely by Stripe and we never see your card details.
How can I support the film?+
Make a donation through the Support section, host a screening, bring the film to your festival, your classroom or your community, share the trailer and follow the film on social media.
I am a journalist. Where do I find press materials?+
The press kit is available in the Press section. For interviews and other press requests, write to ligia@dontskiphumanity.org.
Press, Festivals,
and Screening
Enquiries
For press accreditation, interviews, festival submissions, and all other enquiries, reach the team at Don't Skip Humanity.
The first film being about hope
in a devastatingly-destructed Gaza.”
