Palestinian film 'Gaza Mon Amour' wins Netpac award at Tiff

Gaza Mon Amour by Palestinian twin brothers Arab and Tarzan Nasser has won the Netpac award at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.

The film, which world premiered at the Venice International Film Festival earlier this month, stars Palestinians Hiam Abbas and Salim Daw.

Inspired by a real-life event that happened in Gaza in 2013, the film follows the story of a 60-year-old fisherman who finds a bronze statue of the Greek god Apollo in his nets.

The film is a love story set in daily life in Gaza. In a recent interview with The National, the directors said that the film was their way to show "how much they love Gaza".

“We decided to do something with no link to politics,” Tarzan said.

The directors thanked Tiff for the award via video.

"Thank you so much for this Netpac, which is such a pleasure to have. Sending you lots of love and many kisses from Paris," they said in their video message.

The Netpac award's jury is selected from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Pacific Cinema.

This year, and due to Covid-19, Tiff has had a smaller programme with a selection of 50 films from around the world, and the majority of events taking place digitally.