Life Is Beautiful review – poignantly upbeat journal of a Gazan exile stranded in Norway

Mohamed Jabaly was marooned at a Norwegian film festival in 2014 after Israel closed Gaza’s border, and this is the record of what came nextHere is a tale from pre-7 October Gaza, on whose optimist energy subsequent events now cast a gloomy shadow. Almost 10 years ago, young Palestinian film-maker Mohamed Jabaly came from Gaza City to the Tromsø film festival in northern Norway with his much admired documentary Ambulance, about his time volunteering with an ambulance crew in Gaza in 2014. But the Rafah crossing with Egypt, Gaza’s only entry and exit point, was closed by Israel while Jabaly was away and he found himself stranded in the city. He used the time to shoot this documentary about his exile and about the Norwegian lens through which he poignantly views his beloved homeland.Jabaly’s friends and admirers in Tromsø rallied round and became his surrogate family, chiefly the heroically good-natured festival directors Hermann Greuel and Martha Otte. But when Jabaly applies for new visa to extend his stay, the online entry form refuses to accept “Palestinian” as his nationality and recognises him merely as “stateless”, which may well be a factor in causing his application to be refused. He can’t go … he can’t stay … time is running out … but Jabaly’s boyish, innocent enthusiasm seems inexhaustible (though there are moments when the same can’t exactly be said for Greuel, who sometimes comes across as Jabaly’s grumpy dad.) Continue reading...

Comments

Culture

Jury returns to deliberate for a second day at Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial

washington times

Comments

Similar News

Life on landfill: the people who scrape a living from our waste – in pictures

Jurassic World Rebirth review – Scarlett Johansson runs show as near-extinct franchise roars back to life

‘I’ve been incredibly lucky. I have heavy impostor syndrome’: Djo on viral fame, bad reviews, and life after Stranger Things

Diddy's 'private sex life' turned into 'crime scene', defence says in closing argument

‘Andor’ Has Eerie Real-Life Parallels To Trump’s Presidency — And It’s Inspiring Fans To Resist

PP Arnold on her star-studded life in music: ‘Peter Gabriel and I used to hang upside down in gravity boots’

A Pioneering Photographer Revives Her Slide Show of Lesbian Life

‘Sorry, Baby’ Review: Life and Nothing but, Beautifully

Mel Brooks, 99, set to bring Young Frankenstein back to life in new TV reboot

Exhibition is proof Malky was drawn to the funny side of life

Kiefer/Van Gogh at Royal Academy: 'lust for life in the face of death'

One Show host Roman Kemp says life has ‘peaked’ after Lord Sugar scathingly criticises appearance

Life on the other side: Refugees from 'old media' flock to the promise of working for themselves

Among Friends by Hal Ebbott review – how to blow up your life

Heston: My Life With Bipolar review – some of the most agonisingly honest TV in years

Remembering Edmund White, a writer who chronicled gay life and culture

Han Ong on Partisan Passions and Life Affirmation in the Theatre

Heston Blumenthal’s BBC documentary My Life with Bipolar ought to be a wake-up call

‘Death is complicated and kaleidoscopically beautiful’: Jerskin Fendrix on his emotional new album – and life after Oscar success

How to Lose Your Mother by Molly Jong-Fast review – Erica Jong’s daughter on the worst year of her life

Culture

Jury returns to deliberate for a second day at Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial

Coming to America: Honoring the overlooked Lipschutz

Artemis II mission one step closer to launch after successful rocket test

Country singer Gavin Adcock issues uncensored warning to Beyoncé after slamming Cowboy Carter

SNL’s Dana Carvey says he was ‘delicate’ with Joe Biden impression as he knew he was ‘compromised mentally’

Foo Fighters release punk cover song that was recorded across three decades

Cilla Black’s Blind Date set to be rebooted on Disney+

Why is the BBC in the dock? Why not call out Glastonbury?

I loved the Scottish bookshop that only sells romantic fiction

Picking Daisies: The villain is not strong enough for this gritty thriller

Classic comedy branded ‘most blasphemous ever’ is available to stream

Bob Vylan say they have been ‘targeted for speaking up’ in fresh statement on Glastonbury controversy

Festival goers warned of travel chaos next weekend

Glasgow stars in first trailer for new Hollywood blockbuster The Running Man

‘Scream for me, Glasgow’ - Age has not wearied rock gods

Netflix just made all 3 seasons of ‘addictive’ period drama available to stream

‘Let the franchise go extinct’ cry critics as Jurassic World Rebirth makes rotten debut

Senate passes amendment to strip ban on AI regulations as 'big, beautiful bill' flails

Diddy vs Fiddy: A 25-year timeline of one of rap’s biggest feuds

Historic theatre targets permanent reopening date as £10m vision takes shape

‘Wildly entertaining’ Amazon Prime action thriller soars up top 10 chart

Oasis ‘sound biblical’ after being heard kicking off reunion tour rehearsals

Country icon cancels concert after extreme weather ruins equipment

I was electrified seeing my favourite historical drama in the most epic way ever

Bob Geldof told Freddie Mercury to ‘just play the hits’ before legendary Live Aid performance

Black American Sign Language version of Sinners to be made available on streaming

Kenneth Branagh to star in The Devil Wears Prada 2 as filming starts

BBC Radio 2 forced to find last minute stand-in as Vernon Kay gets stuck on a train

Is it time for a change of name for this Glastonbury performer?

Bob Vylan right to express rage against the IDF. And Bob Dylan would agree

James Cameron labels Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning triumph ‘a moral cop out’

TV chef’s leg turned ‘yellow and black’ after being bitten by snake on charity bike ride

Ranvir Singh reveals terrifying side effect she developed when drink was spiked

Major WWE SmackDown spoilers as iconic star returns on Friday’s episode

Inbetweeners star James Buckley and wife stalked by woman who threatened ‘violent acts’

80s music icon almost cancelled long-overdue Glastonbury debut over hearing fears

Amazon’s James Bond casting wishlist revealed including major breakout star

Photos show Glastonbury 2025 aftermath after thousands of fans leave festival site

James Gunn names actor he thinks would be a ‘great’ Wonder Woman

Donald McDonald death: Play School star and ‘showbiz great’ dies aged 86

Tulisa’s father and Mungo Jerry keyboardist Plato Contostavlos dies

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s Los Angeles home reportedly burglarised on Valentine’s Day

Glastonbury 2025 live: Clean-up underway as organisers prepare for fallow year

BBC Play School presenter Donald Macdonald dies aged 86

Chief Rabbi calls 'vile Jew-hatred at Glastonbury' a 'national shame'

'The Bear' is back with its strong performances intact

Fans find it ‘hard to say goodbye’ as Downton Abbey releases final film trailer

You will need a strong stomach for this hideously fascinating Channel 4 documentary

Meet the dark new generation of clowns making you spill your deepest secrets

‘I have a deep sense of survivor’s guilt’: Four people on 7/7, the day that changed the nation

New on Netflix in July 2025, including your latest true-crime obsession

Jaws and effect: How Spielberg’s epic changed our relationship with sharks forever

Music critics say Oasis only made two good albums. Gen Z strongly disagree

How Lisa Laurén’s Artsy Childhood Inspires Her Sought-After Animal Heads

Jurassic World Rebirth goes back to basics – and saves the franchise in the process

Squid Game creator weighs in on US spin-off rumors after Cate Blanchett cameo

Netflix is removing your favourite original series after nine years