Documentary about AFP journalists in Gaza enters Oscars race

Inside Gaza, a documentary about AFP journalists in Gaza, is in the running for the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Even getting into the race is a huge victory for the documentary, which hopes to feature among the official nominees announced by the Academy in January 2027 ahead of the awards ceremony in March.

The film secured its entry ticket by winning the grand prize at Doc Edge, a festival in New Zealand that qualifies films for the Academy Awards. The jury praised a work that “lays bare the devastating human cost of silencing those who bear witness, while offering a rousing defence of the importance of documentary film to the pursuit of justice the world over.” It won not only the prize for Best International Feature Documentary, but also for Best Editing.

Launched in November 2023, following the Israeli army’s targeting and destruction of AFP’s Gaza offices, the film initially struggled to find a broadcaster. It was eventually produced for television (ARTE, RTBF, RTS) but failed to secure a cinema distributor in France. Since then, it has been acquired in several countries and will be released in cinemas in Japan on November 28, 2026.

“It’s the start of an almost unbelievable journey. There was nothing to suggest our film would compete for the Oscars, yet we got our ticket directly, without going through the official French channels,” says the film’s producer, Yann Ollivier, who is also an AFP journalist.

“This is remarkable recognition for the film team, but it also brings responsibility. We must seize this opportunity to take the issue of on-the-ground reporting in the face of disinformation all the way to Hollywood,” said director Hélène Lam Trong, winner of the Albert Londres Prize, the highest award in French journalism.

“This matters not only to us, but to the journalism profession as a whole, which is increasingly being challenged around the world,” said Adel Zaanoun, one of the documentary’s four protagonists.
 

The film team will begin a global promotional tour in the coming weeks, supported by RSF, featuring screenings and discussions with journalists featuring in the documentary, in the United States and Canada, Europe, North Africa and Asia.
 

The documentary is built around the testimonies of reporter Mai Yaghi, Adel Zaanoun, head of the Gaza bureau, and award-winning photojournalists Mahmud Hams (Visa d'Or, Bayeux Prize 2007/2018/2024, Polka Prize, Pulitzer Prize finalist) and Mohammed Abed (World Press Photo 2010, Bayeux Prize 2021).

The film has received significant international recognition, earning the Grand Prix and Audience Award at FIGRA in Douai (France), a SCAM Star, the Roman Brodmann Prize (Germany), and the Investigation and Reporting Prize at the Assises du Journalisme (France).

In August, it was further honored with the Best Documentary Award at the Human Rights Film Festival in Kotka, Finland. It remains in selection at several festivals, including Cinemania in Canada this autumn, as well as in Germany and Switzerland.

Inside Gaza is a French-Belgian documentary co-produced by ARTE and RTBF, with the participation of AFP and Swiss television RTS. It premiered in autumn 2025 on ARTE, RTS and RTBF.

The news comes as the French Film Committee gathers this week to select France’s entry for the Best International Feature Film Oscar.

About Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is an international non-profit organization that defends every human being’s right to access free and reliable information. It works to promote freedom, pluralism and independence in journalism, and to protect those who embody these ideals. Founded in 1985 in Montpellier by four journalists, RSF has been recognized as serving the public interest in France since 1995 and holds consultative status with the United Nations, UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF).
 

About AFP

Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a global news agency that provides reliable, comprehensive, real-time coverage of the stories that shape our daily lives. Employing more than 2,600 staff from 135 different nationalities, AFP is always on the ground where the news happens, producing multimedia content in six languages: French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic. Our globally recognised expertise in video, text, photo and data journalism is rewarded every year with several international prizes.
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