From Under The Rubble Wins the Best Documentary Award at the Arab Film Festival in California

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Marking its First International Award

From Under The Rubble Wins the Best Documentary Award at the Arab Film Festival in California


The documentary film From Under The Rubble by Anne Tsoulis won the Best Documentary award at the 22nd Arab Film Festival (AFF) in California, USA, organized by the Arab Film & Media Institute (AFMI). This is the film's first international award after participating in many international film festivals.

After Israel invaded Gaza in January 2009, ten-year old Amal Samouni was ordered to leave her house on the outskirts of Gaza City and walk to Gaza City with her mother and eight siblings. On the way, Amal became separated from her mother. Israeli soldiers herd Amal into her uncles' house along with one hundred members of her extended family. The next morning, Israeli missiles were fired on the house. Amal remained trapped under the rubble for three days before Red Crescent and Red Cross were given permission by the IDF to enter the area. They found Amal barely alive surrounded by the scattered pieces of her dead relatives. Severely injured and dehydrated Amal was taken to the hospital in Gaza City where she was reunited with her mother and siblings who had given up all hope that she was still alive.

From Under The Rubble was nominated for Best Documentary at the Adelaide International Film Festival and took part in the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The film is distributed in the Arab world by MAD Solutions.

Anne Tsoulis is a screenwriter, script editor, director and producer. After years working extensively as an accredited screenwriter and script doctor for drama feature films and television dramas, Anne turned to documentary films. She was the script editor of the documentary Breaker Morant: The Retrial (2013) for the History Channel. Tsoulis has worked in digital media and was the principle content producer and creator for MSN Online. She made her first documentary, These Heathen Dreams, in 2014. The film is an Australian-French co-production that was broadcast on French television in collaboration with CNC, Pays du Loire, Screen Australia and the South Australian Film Corporation. It also screened at various film festivals, including the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Adelaide Film Festival.

Her feature film, I'll Make You Happy, was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the NOKIA Film Awards. She received the Premier's Literature Award for Best Screenplay for her film The Watch House.