After an Israeli sniper’s bullet changes his life forever, Gaza cycling champion Ala’a refuses to give up. Determined to rebuild, he sets his sights on the Paralympics and inspires others with disabilities to form a team. As they train together, they confront not only physical loss but the realities of war, blockade, and social barriers. With unexpected twists along the way, Gaza Sunbirds becomes more than a sports story—it is a powerful portrait of resilience, solidarity, and the relentless human drive to live, dream, and rise above.
“Gaza Sunbirds is built on long-term commitment and rare access,” Flemish producer Kristian Van der Heyden (Harald House) tells BDE. “Director Flavia Cappellini has followed Ala’a Al Dali and his teammates for eight years, beginning in 2018 when the team was founded around the idea that sport and mobility could create opportunity in a place defined by restriction.”
“What makes the film important is precisely this long perspective. We see Gaza before the war, the escalation towards October 7, and the consequences that continue to shape the lives of our protagonists today,” Van der Heyden adds. “The story unfolds through intimate daily moments rather than headlines, allowing audiences to connect with people and places that are often reduced to abstraction.”
The film’s impact campaign is designed to extend that connection “beyond the cinema,” the producer adds. “Together with the Gaza Sunbirds team and partner organisations, the campaign will focus on raising funds for a rehabilitation centre in Gaza. The war has left Gaza with one of the highest concentrations of disabled adults and children in the world, and the team’s work around adaptive sport and mobility makes this a natural and urgent focus for the film’s outreach.”
The film is currently at advanced production stage, “built on several years of footage filmed both inside Gaza and around the journeys of the cyclists beyond it. The story continues to evolve as the situation on the ground changes,” says Van der Heyden. “We are currently looking for finishing funds to bring the film through post-production and towards international release, while in parallel we have started fundraising for the impact campaign that will accompany the film.”
The main challenge remains timing of events, and how the local situation may yet develop. “We are documenting a story that is still unfolding, and finding the right moment to close the narrative while doing justice to the lives we have followed for so many years remains both the creative and production hurdle ahead,” the producer stresses.
Van der Heyden heaps praise on director Cappellini. “Flavia brings a rare combination of patience, trust and journalistic understanding to the project. Her relationship with the cyclists began through cycling journalism, which allowed her to build genuine access to the team and their daily lives. Over time this evolved into a long-term documentary practice capturing moments that are rarely seen from inside Gaza.”
“Alongside her filmmaking, Flavia works as a reporter in Jerusalem for Sky News Italy, giving her a strong understanding of the broader political context,” he adds. “What distinguishes her work is the balance between this awareness and a cinematic language inspired by cycling itself—endurance, landscape and movement—keeping the film grounded in lived experience rather than commentary.”
