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UN staff group screens Gaza film 'From Ground 0'; speakers cite UNRWA casualty figures
Summary
At a United Nations Staff Recreation Council screening, the UN Movie Society presented excerpts from From Ground 0, a 2025 Oscar-shortlisted collection of 22 short films made in Gaza. Presenters cited casualty figures attributed to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and described the film as a record of resilience.
Brenda von Gova, president of the UN Movie Society of the United Nations Staff Recreation Council, presented excerpts from From Ground 0, which she said was shortlisted in the 2025 Oscar international feature category and “was filmed during the devastating war in Gaza.”
Von Gova said the film gathers 22 short films made by Palestinian filmmakers in Gaza over the past year. She attributed casualty figures to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), saying “according to the United Nations Relief and Work Agency, UNRWA, over 48000 Palestinians have been reportedly killed since 10/07/2023.” She also said “273 of our own dear colleagues themselves have been killed since the war began.”
Riyadh Mansour, Ambassador and Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, said he had recently seen From Ground 0 in Manhattan and called the collection “extremely, emotional for me.” Mansour described scenes he said appeared in the films, including a teacher who left a tent to try to get water and could not, then later encountered a former student who offered help. Mansour said the films repeatedly include the sound of reconnaissance drones and that the works portray life in refugee camps, “sharing with the audience tremendous humanistic stories.”
Rasheed Masharawi, identified in remarks as the project’s director and artistic supervisor, said the initiative was intended “to protect the memory and to protect the dreams of the Palestinians in Gaza during the war” and to give a voice to filmmakers living and working under dangerous conditions. He thanked the United Nations for showing excerpts through its channels.
Von Gova thanked Mansour, Masharawi, Executive Director Michael Moore, and the Ground 0 team for their support and said the presentation aimed to highlight storytelling as a way to convey principles the United Nations advances, including human rights and dignity. Presenters recommended viewing the full film to gain perspective on conditions in Gaza and on the filmmakers’ work.
No formal actions, votes, or policy decisions were recorded in the meeting transcript related to the screening.
