With Hasan in Gaza
Rediscovered tapes turn a filmmaker’s search for an old prison companion into an intimate portrait of Palestinian life in Gaza at a pivotal historical moment.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- intimate
- melancholic
- contemplative
- serious viewing
- film festival programming
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the documentary as a powerful and intimate act of archival recovery that connects personal memory with Palestinian history.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film is constructed around the filmmaker's rediscovery of tapes recorded during a 2001 journey through Gaza.
The journey through Gaza is shaped by the search for an old prison companion named Hasan.
The footage foregrounds intimate moments of Palestinian life rather than treating Gaza solely as a geopolitical abstraction.
The rediscovered tapes create a personal, contemplative relationship between the filmmaker's present and Gaza in 2001.
Films like With Hasan in Gaza, and why
5 Broken Cameras
shares an intimate documentary approach to Palestinian life, displacement, memory, and political violence
The Time That Remains
shares observational attention to everyday life under occupation and a reflective, humanist documentary tone
The Missing Picture
shares archival investigation, personal memory, and the recovery of history through found footage
Movie Details
- Director
- Kamal Aljafari
- Release Date
- 2026-03-26
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 9.0 / 10 (1)
Common questions
- What is With Hasan in Gaza about?
- Rediscovered tapes turn a filmmaker’s search for an old prison companion into an intimate portrait of Palestinian life in Gaza at a pivotal historical moment.
- What is With Hasan in Gaza like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of With Hasan in Gaza as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is With Hasan in Gaza violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in With Hasan in Gaza.
- What did critics think of With Hasan in Gaza?
- Critics broadly regard the documentary as a powerful and intimate act of archival recovery that connects personal memory with Palestinian history.
- Which films are like With Hasan in Gaza?
- Films with a similar feel include 5 Broken Cameras, The Time That Remains, and The Missing Picture.
- How long is With Hasan in Gaza?
- With Hasan in Gaza runs 106 minutes.
