'Who Is Still Alive' Courtesy of Venice Giornate Degli Autori Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Who Is Still Alive, from Swiss director Nicolas Wadimoff (The Apollo of Gaza, Operation Libertad, Aisheen, The Golden Gloves of Akka), world premieres on Sept. 3 in the Venice Days program (Giornate Degli Autori), the independent section within the Venice Film Festival promoted by the Italian filmmaker associations ANAC and 100autori. But anticipation has already been building, given its topicality. After all, it features nine Palestinian refugees from Gaza sharing their stories. "A map of Gaza, its cities, camps, and neighborhoods. White paint on a black floor. In these roughly drawn outlines, nine refugees who were able to escape hell tell their stories," reads a synopsis. "Their previous lives, their buried dreams, the danger, the rubble, the loss of their dear ones. Oppressed, hindered existences, but not yet reduced to ashes, not yet totally plunged into oblivion and darkness. By sharing their stories, the protagonists of Who Is Still Alive attempt to reconnect with themselves, to stop being ghosts. And, perhaps, come back to life." Related Stories Movies Danish Filmmaker Per Holst, Who Produced Movies for Lars von Trier and Others, Dies at 86 Person of Interest Nobody Can Stop Stray Kids, Especially With Their New Album 'Karma' Wadimoff, in a director's statement, highlights: "What the survivors of Gaza have endured cannot be told with words alone. Gestures, breaths, or silences can be more telling, sometimes." And he offers: "Whatever word we use for this campaign of systematic destruction and erasure, our common framework for understanding the world seems to have become ineffective in the face of this unspeakable thing, which must not, however, remain unheard and unseen." Nicolas Wadimoff Courtesy of Cinematheque Suisse/Mathilda Olmi Wadimoff also emphasizes a hope to present the film "beyond affiliations and political opinions," emphasizing: "The idea here is to give visibility to the stories of a people too often dehumanized, reduced to numbers. And to take the time to listen, watch, feel the battered bodies and the wounded souls." The director even describes the film as "a bridge between the intimate and collective experience of a devastated people and the spectators, who will become witnesses. A motion to think the unthinkable together." THR can present two exclusive clips from Who Is Still Alive. The first clip shows two men sharing some of their experiences. One of them talks about missiles and his family, including his sister's fears - before tears start flowing. The second man recalls a visit to a market in Cairo where he wanted to buy a painting - before making a painful realization. In a second exclusive clip, a woman talks about a harrowing young death. And then, a man shares what a difference a year makes - and addresses how his body may be elsewhere now, but his spirit is still in Gaza. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Obituaries Danish Filmmaker Per Holst, Who Produced Movies for Lars von Trier and Others, Dies at 86 Netflix 'KPop Demon Hunters' Sing-Along Version Coming to Netflix Toy Story 5 Tony Hale Worried He'd Be Replaced in 'Toy Story 4' by a "Huge Star" streaming Who the Hell Opens a Video Store in 2025? Renoir, That's Who Heat Vision Box Office: 'KPop Demon Hunters' Sings to $18M-$20M in First Theatrical Win Ever for Netflix Venice Film Festival Filmmakers Urge Venice to Take Stand on Gaza in Open Letter Obituaries Danish Filmmaker Per Holst, Who Produced Movies for Lars von Trier and Others, Dies at 86 Netflix 'KPop Demon Hunters' Sing-Along Version Coming to Netflix Toy Story 5 Tony Hale Worried He'd Be Replaced in 'Toy Story 4' by a "Huge Star" streaming Who the Hell Opens a Video Store in 2025? Renoir, That's Who Heat Vision Box Office: 'KPop Demon Hunters' Sings to $18M-$20M in First Theatrical Win Ever for Netflix Venice Film Festival Filmmakers Urge Venice to Take Stand on Gaza in Open Letter