Siblings Mohamed Jabaly, Rima Jabaly and Ibrahim Jabaly made a highly emotional pitch for their feature doc project My Sister Gaza during the Public Pitch session of DocsBarcelona 2026.
In the film, as bombs fall over Gaza, two siblings (Rima and Ibrahim) find in filmmaking a way to document their family’s displacement, capturing months of struggle to survive and the shattering of lives. The project is further described as “a raw, intimate story of war, love, resilience, and unbreakable bonds.”
Meanwhile brother Mohamed (Life Is Beautiful) was stranded in Norway and unable to return to Gaza, but, as we see in the footage, not a day passed when he did not call his family. As well as co-director, Mohamed is producer of the film. “My Sister Gaza is a resonant story about our lives during the genocide in Gaza, as everything around us begins to collapse,” he opened the pitch.
Sister Rima took up story. “Through my camera, the film follows me, my brother Ibrahim, and our family’s displacement journey, documenting our daily life and filming what we were going through. At the same time, my brother Mohamed, in Norway, was experiencing the war in a very different way. He was trying to stay connected with us from afar, constantly checking on us and encouraging us to film.”
Ibrahim added: “Everything was stopped. The time was moving in a different way, not knowing what would happen. And our focus was how to survive. And day by day, through this moment, all we know has left me. I’m trying to continue to live.”
A tearful Rima read a diary entry from the early days of the war. “My camera battery ran out, and there is no electricity. The water is almost gone too. Even documenting or filming has become impossible. I feel endless. Nothing we can do. The only escape now is the rooftop or the window. The house literally feels like a prison.”
“In the film, we will also use the guides written before and after,” she added. “And we will use our voice to show and tell the world what it means to survive. The story moves between us, and it ends when finally, Ibrahim and I manage to cross the border.” Today, Rima and Ibrahim are living and studying in Spain, while the rest of their family remain in Gaza.
“As you see, it’s a very deeply connected and emotional journey that we are going through,” Mohamed stressed. “But we are managing, and we will manage. And that’s why we are here, to continue our story and to share more.”
The film, a Norwegian/Palestinian co-production, will detail the first 200 days of the genocide, he added. “We are entering the production stage. And we are looking for funders, of course, and buyers, distributors, and co-production [partners], Catalan or Spanish, to close our finance gap.”
“Also, my experience as an older brother and a filmmaker, making Ambulance and Life is Beautiful, made me realise how important and how the power of our story is. To be able to be representing our people. And as you see, healing is a part of this film. And we hope that you join us.”
Mohamed Elmongy of Al Jazeera gave his unwavering support for the project from the floor. “We worked together on the last film, Life is Beautiful, and it was very successful. And I think this one will be a good chance to see the full arc of the whole story from the beginning until now,” he said. “Maybe the challenge will be in the editing, because I imagine that with 200 hours of filming, with maybe different formats, low lights…it will be a challenge, but yes, definitely.”
At the May 13 DocsBarcelona Industry awards ceremony, My Sister Gaza was awarded the Al Jazeera Documentary Co-production Award as well as for European Talent Development Award ARTE, both valued at €10,000.
