The Apollo of Gaza

Documentary by Nicolas Wadimoff

In collaboration with Béatrice Guelpa

78 minutes – 2018
Switzerland – Canada

French Title

L’Apollon de Gaza

Synopsis

In 2013, a 2000-year old statue of Apollo was found near Gaza, only to disappear all of a sudden. Apollo, god of art, beauty and divinations, incites all sorts of rumors, even the craziest ones. The Apollo of Gaza is at once an inquiry and a meditation on history, plunging us into the barely known reality of a territory that is still paying the price of wars and a merciless blockade, but where life also subsists, undefeated. By bringing a little light to the sky of Gaza, the statue and its stupefying story could return some dignity and hope to all people.

Production

Co-production with
National Film Board, NFB (Canada)
Radio télévision Suisse, RTS (Switzerland)

With the support of
Office Fédéral de la Culture, OFC (Switzerland), Cinéforom (Switzerland), Loterie Romande (Switzerland), Succès Passage Antenne (Switzerland), SRF SSR (Switzerland), Suissimage (Switzerland).

Festivals (selection)

71. Locarno Film Festival, 2018, Sélection officielle – Semaine de la critique
61. DOK Leipzig, 2018
42. Göteborg International Film Festival, 2019
FIPADOC, Biarritz, Festival International de Documentaires audiovisuels, 2019

(lire plus)

Trailer:

Co-produced by Akka Films and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), The Apollo of Gaza, directed by Swiss filmmaker Nicolas Wadimoff, tries to uncover the secrets behind this stunning archaeological discovery. Filmed in Gaza and Jerusalem, the film plays out like a mystery – one full of unexpected plot twists, as Wadimoff tracks down those who saw the priceless statue or who have heard stories about it. Is it the work of forgers, or a gift from the gods to Palestinians desperately in need of hope? There are a lot of unknowns, but one thing is sure: the Apollo of Gaza soon becomes an object of speculation and greed, its very existence feeding the wildest rumours, and blurring the line between truth and lie, myth and reality.

Beyond the local political rivalries and international concerns, The Apollo of Gaza is an engaging reflection on the passage of time and the cycles of history. It’s a history that has seen the birth, growth, and death of great civilizations, in a part of the world marked by the endless Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where the besieged Gaza strip continues to pay a heavy price.

Stills

With 

Jean-Baptiste Humbert, Walid Al-Aqqad, Jawdat Abu Ghurab, Nafez Abed, Jawdat Khoudary, Heyam Al-Bitar, Sofiane Salman, Gil Chaya, Fadel Al-Otol, Tania Cohen-Uzzielli, Jean-Michel de Tarragon, Archevêque Alexios, Marc-André Haldimann, Mohammed knalla, Sami Abu Salem, Sami Ajrami.

Narration: Bruno Todeschini

Credits

Directed by: Nicolas Wadimoff
Written by: 
Nicolas Wadimoff & Béatrice Guelpa (in collaboration)
Production:
Colette Loumède (NBF), Philippe Coeytaux (Akka Films)
Co-production: Irène Challand & Gaspard Lamunière (RTS), Sven Welti & Gregory Catella (SRG SSR)
Cinematography: : Frank Rabel
Editing: Christine Hoffet
Editing consultant  Karine Sudan
Location Sound Mix: Carlos Ibanez Diaz
Music: Claude Fradette
Sound Design: Benoît Dame
Sound Mix: Serge Boivin

more…

Festival

Festival Ôrizons, Rencontres des arts et des cultures du Proche-Orient à Périgueux, du 14 au 30 mai 2020
Festival Cinéma des associations de Sète, du 7 au 10 mai 2020
15. Festival International du film d’archéologie d’Amiens, du 31 mars au 4 avril 2020
10. Festival Diversité Centre-Image Montbéliard, du 19 mars au 6 avril 2020
21. Pyeongchang International Film Festival, Corée du Sud, 2019
2. Festival Manarat, Tunis, 2019
11. FIDADOC, Festival International de Documentaire d’Agadir, Maroc, 2019
5. Festival Ciné-Palestine, Paris, 2019
22. Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, Durham, USA, 2019
HIFF, Haifa Independent Film Festival, Israël, 2019
CPH:DOX, Copenhagen, Danemark, 2019
Festival Francofilm, Emirats arabe unis, 2019
21. Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Grèce, 2019
34. Santa Barbara International Film festival, 2019
42. Göteborg International Film Festival, 2019
54. Solothurner Filmtage, 2019
FIPADOC, Biarritz, Festival International de Documentaires audiovisuels, 2019
40. Cairo International Film Festival, 2018
21. RIDM Rencontres internationales du documentaire Montréal, 2018
61. DOK Leipzig, 2018
33. Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur, 2018
71. Locarno Film Festival, 2018, Sélection officielle – Semaine de la critique